


Gathered Safely In

by likebunnies



Category: Sleepy Hollow (TV)
Genre: Dating, F/M, First Time, Friends to Lovers, Not Canon Compliant, POV Alternating, Partners to Lovers, Post-Season/Series 02, Slow Burn, Virginity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-08
Updated: 2015-08-29
Packaged: 2018-04-03 10:54:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4098331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likebunnies/pseuds/likebunnies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Abbie Mills is a virgin. She's done a lot of things but she hasn't done that. Until now? </p><p>This was brought about by an anon question to nerdygrlwonder on Tumblr about how it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that Abbie could be a virgin. Yes, not at all likely but not impossible? I took that idea and ran with it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Expectations

**Author's Note:**

> I personally believe that a person's sexuality is their own thing to do with as they please. It is no one else's business. If they don't want to have sex? Fine. They want to have consensual sex? Fine. There is no age by which anyone should have lost their virginity. No right number of sex partners one should have by any given age. No number of dates one needs to go on before it is mandatory that they have sex or else they wasting someone's time. YOUR body is your own. 
> 
> Did I ever think TV/Canon Abbie Mills was a virgin during her time on the show? No. But that's what fan fiction is for! And I've read some pretty out there AUs in my time!

“You're a what?” 

Crane knew right away she didn't want to be having this conversation anymore. He wasn't even sure how they ended up discussing courting and past loves and firsts. It was something about a blood demon of yore that only hunted virgins on the first full moon of the twelfth year after they had reached menarche (Very finicky demon. Was it any wonder they died out?) and he questioned how much success it would have in today's world. Then she said it and now she was giving him the look that was the genuine Abigail Mills sign to end this conversation immediately and she meant it. 

But after nearly a minute, he found he was still looking at her, an eyebrow raised, waiting for her to say something. To confirm what he thought she said. 

“Does it make a difference?”

“Of course not. It is your body after all. I just assumed... Luke. And the young man that fled when you were arrested as a youth. I thought with the modern woman now exercising the same rights that have been afforded young men for ages, that by now, you would have...”

“Been exercising my rights?”

“Yes.”

“Keeping in mind that none of this is your business and the only reason I'm telling you this is because it is my decision to tell you... but yes, I am a virgin. I'm not saying that I haven't done a lot of other things. A LOT of other things. But just not that particular one thing,” Abbie answered, meeting his stare. He blinked but didn't look away. “It is my choice and nothing you say is going to make me feel embarrassed or ashamed about it.”

“I would never dream of making you feel embarrassed about such a thing. Why would you even think that? I'm just surprised, that's all,” Crane said. He knew that wasn't the right thing to say as soon as he said it but unfortunately there was no rewind on real life. 

“Surprised why? Because of how I was brought up? Because of the drinking and drugs I did when I was younger? My age? Why?” 

What was he supposed to answer? Surprised because she was the most beautiful person he had ever encountered? He had loved Katrina and her simple beauty but Miss Abigail Mills was stunning. Surprised because of the number of men who must have asked – must have wanted her – and yet she told them all no?

Then again, that really shouldn't surprise him at all. Lieutenant Mills was her own person. She was in charge of her own body and her own life and if she didn't want to do something, she wasn't going to do it. He knew that too well. 

Surprised because he couldn't imagine not wanting her right here and now, thinking one day it would happen and now there was this... thing... that made everything a little bit different? If she told them no, would she say the same to him eventually? Because he surely wasn't worthy of her either, partner and best friend or not. 

He had deflowered a few virgins in his youth, young ladies of lesser class standing who worked about the house or the round, laughing daughters of pub owners. Even Katrina had been a virgin when they first lain together, though it wasn't on their wedding night but weeks before, when they knew they were to be together 'forever.' He knew it meant something, was usually important or at least should be. 

One's partner should be important, too. Not like his first time with some woman who worked in his father's house. He could remember her rosy cheeks and strawberry hair but not her name. She called him 'sir' as he fucked her (it really was no more than that and it barely lasted a minute) even though he had done nothing in his short life to deserve to be called 'sir' yet. It wasn't his house or even his property. 

“I just assumed and that is where I made my mistake. My apologies, Lieutenant. We do not need to discuss if further because it is, as you said, your decision.” 

“Thank you. But I do get to ask you one question. As trade for answering honestly.”

“Please,” he said, settling back in his chair in the archives, waiting for whatever she had to ask. 

“You were really fifteen your first time?”

“Yes.” 

“And you knew what you were doing?”

“Not in the slightest.” 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

It wasn't that Abbie hadn't wanted to. Oh, lord, had she wanted to with some of the men she dated. But there was also another, much more vocal part of her that didn't want them to have that. Something inside her felt that would be giving herself over completely to them, letting them know too much, losing some sort of control. It was letting them inside of her, literally and figuratively and she had never met anyone with whom she was willing to go that far. Be that free. Share so much. 

Until now.

Or rather, until the day she met Ichabod Crane. Thankfully, he was married and with that knowledge, she could push those thoughts away and tamper them down to where they didn't matter. Or at least keep them to herself only to ponder when she was alone in her bed with just her imagination and her own fingers. 

But now Mrs. Crane was no more. Ding dong and all that. 

And Abbie was torn by what she wanted and the fear of what it might do to them. Would she be able to stand letting someone that close, even him? Sure, they were close. But a part of him inside a part of her, knowing her completely in her most private moments? 

She chided herself. Plenty of old boyfriends would laugh at her right now, knowing exactly what parts of them had been in parts of her before. Like she said, she had done a lot. Oral sex was fun. A good hand job before her shift? Also fun. There was a time a blow job was probably just as intimate as sex. Those days had been over for a while. 

She knew it had something to do with control. She was so scared of being out of control and love and sex and everything that went with it was being completely out of control. Giving all of herself to someone else... scared her shitless. 

Maybe she was more afraid it wouldn't work out. Not sexually. She was certain that would work out great. But if the rest of it didn't? They still had to be together for several more years, being Witness One and Witness Two. Did she really want to have to do this job day in and day out with the guy she once had sex with? What in the hell would that even be like?

But what if it did work out? What if it brought them not only closer (well, obviously) but also more attuned to one another? What if... well, what if so many things. Like what if he wasn't even interested in her like that? His wife, the love of his goddamned life, just died a few months ago. Maybe he wasn't interested in anything but books and demons and wishing his time here ended soon so he could go be with her. 

Abbie looked up from her desk and caught him staring at her before he quickly glanced away. Oh, no. There was a part of Ichabod Crane that was interested. Very interested. It was when she caught those stolen looks that she could feel a slow burn start between her thighs before it radiated to every inch of her. It was then that she was almost ready to say 'the hell with it!' and have him right now. 

Yet another part of her screamed out that she needed to be sure. She waited this long, what was another couple of months? 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

“This was most certainly a fool's errand,” Crane announced. They had been chasing after some sort of creature all day but never caught more than a brief glimpse of it before it vanished out of sight. He put out a hand to Abbie to help her up off the forest floor where a tree root had sent her sprawling. 

“You're one to complain. I don't see you down here rolling around in filth and... whatever this is,” she said, ignoring his hand for a moment as she touched the 'whatever this is' portion of the undergrowth. He wanted to warn her away from it, for he had already poked at some of it with the toe of his boot and learned his lesson, but it was too late and was now stuck to her fingers. So naturally that was when she grabbed his hand for his help. 

“Thank you. Now if whatever that creature left behind is poisonous, we will surely die together covered in sticky goo,” he said, trying to peel his hand free from hers. It wasn't budging. 

“There are worse ways to go.” She had a sly smile on her face that he had missed over the last few weeks since 'that conversation' in the archives. 

“Indeed there are. But if we are to die together, I would rather do it someplace where it won't take Miss Jenny a decade to find our desiccated yet goo-covered corpses. Shall we proceed back to the car?” he said, still trying to get free. It wasn't working. No amount of tugging or twisting was working. 

His right hand was glued to her right hand and without some sort of solvent, they were stuck like this. It wasn't exactly easy to walk like this either, both of them having to be careful not to step in any more sticky matter while they battled over whose arm got to go where. 

“Stop pulling. Hold on,” Abbie said, finally ending up with their hands in a place that would be comfortable for both of them and still allow her to carry a flashlight now that the sun was beginning to set. There wouldn't be much to illuminate their pathway soon, the forest already filtering out most of the low autumn light. 

“Where is Miss Jenny lately? She has been noticeably absent from these nightmarish adventures of ours,” Crane said, adjusting his pace so he didn't pull Abbie too far forward or fall too far behind. He didn't want to get his arm wrenched out of its socket. 

“I dunno. I think she might be dating that guy she met at karaoke that one night. Ryan. Brian. Whatever his name was,” Abbie answered, carefully picking her way over tree roots as to not bring them both crashing to the ground. 

“Wouldn't you rather be doing that on a Friday night, Miss Mills?”

“What? Karaoke?” 

“No. Using your vernacular... dating.” 

“Oh. I haven't had much time in my life for that in a while. You know, busy with impending apocalypse and whatnot. Are you familiar with the impending apocalypse? If not, I can explain it to you,” Abbie said tartly. 

“No need to mock me. I was just wondering if you'd just once rather be out on a date on a Friday night rather than whatever it is we do while we're waiting to the save the world?” Crane asked. Abbie fell silent for a long while. They were back on the main trail before she spoke. 

“I guess a part of me would like that but I also know that this is important, what you and I are doing.”

“You and I could... go on a date,” Crane said, wishing he could read her expression but they were angled just so that he could only see a slight pout on her lips in profile. He didn't want her to think he was teasing her. He was completely sincere in asking. 

“I don't know...”

“We are presently stuck together in – where are we even? We already go out. We go to Mabie's, we share meals together, we spend nearly every waking hour in each other's company. What would be the difference if I asked you out and you accepted?” he asked. 

“You know the difference, Crane. Expectations would be different. They always are when it's a date,” Abbie answered. 

“I don't see how.”

“There are 'rules,' certain norms that come into play. Like kissing after the first date. That's not much of a problem. But then there's the notion of sex after the third date. See, expectations,” Abbie explained and he was trying to wrap him head around this new courtship structure fabricated since he was a younger man. 

“Being from another generation – well, really, era – entirely, I would have no such expectations. You can trust me with your life, Abbie,” he said. She stopped, jerking him backward with her sudden halt. 

“My life is one thing. I just don't want to get hurt. I don't want to ruin this thing we have,” she said. He turned to her and now they looked as if they were shaking hands on a deal. Except the deal hadn't been settled yet. 

“Tomorrow night. We will go to the motion picture show. We will get some dinner. Nothing will be ruined. I promise you,” Crane said, waiting for some sort of reply and hoping it wasn't a no. 

“Okay.”

“Okay?” 

“Yes.”

He couldn't hide his smile if he tried. 

“Now let us make our way out of these woods so I can finally have my hand back!”

“What? You don't enjoy holding my hand?” Abbie joked. 

“Under any other circumstance, a moonlight walk with a young woman through the woods while holding hands would be ideal. But unless there is something in your car that is going to separate us, the drive back to the cabin is going to be quite an ordeal,” he said, pulling her arm in front of him for a change as he started toward the end of the path. 

“I didn't really think about that. It will be amusing to see you crawl across the seats since we'll have to get in on the same side,” Abbie said with a light laugh. That was more than he could deal with. 

“This is insufferable!” he said, giving their hands a hard shake. With that, they came apart. But even though he didn't have to, he took her left hand in his (after making sure it was no longer going to hold fast to her skin) and held it for the remainder of their journey. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

“You're doing what?” 

“You heard me, Jenny. Crane and I are going on a date tonight,” Abbie said, wishing she had never accepted the phone call from her sister. 

“A date. Does this mean you might be considering–”

“No. This doesn't mean I'm considering anything. You know how I feel about that and I don't need you harassing me about it again.” Abbie and Jenny had been over this a few times lately and Jenny couldn't believe her sister had turned down some of the gorgeous men who had asked her out over the years. 

“But if you were to FINALLY consider it, Crane would be it, right?” Jenny asked and Abbie switched her phone from one ear to the other hoping it magically hung up in doing so. “I mean, I kind of assumed after the witch went bye-bye, you two would be doing it by now anyway.”

“Why would you assume that? Why are you all making so many assumptions lately?” 

“Because of the way he looks at you, Abbie. Say what you will about any of those other men you dated and all your reasons why but this one loves you, body and soul. If that's not enough of a reason...”

“It's not.”

“Well, go on a few dates with him then! Maybe you'll find the reason. Maybe he is the one you've been waiting for all these years. Fate and destiny seem to think so,” Jenny said. 

Abbie could hear the smile in her sister's voice and her certainty over matters of the heart (when had she ever been right about her own? Hawley? Really?) 

“I am going. He should be here any minute now. And I already told him not to have any expectations about intimacy or sex or anything.”

“Wow. And he's still going to show up? I'm impressed, Abbie.”

“Shut up.”

“You would think that since he is from the 18th century, his expectations would be a little different than a guy born in 1984. Courting and taking you for carriage rides. Stuff like that. Speaking of which, are you going for a carriage ride?” Jenny asked and Abbie had enough. 

“I”m hanging up now. Goodbye, Jenny...”

“Wait! Call me when you get home. You know, unless you're busy–”

“Goodbye, Jenny.”

Abbie touched the screen and cut her sister off. She needed a couple of minutes to collect her thoughts anyway. She was already dressed, trying to make it look like she wasn't going to any great lengths to look good yet still look good. She had on her jeans and a newer shirt and her leather jacket. And her boots with a bit of a heel on them. She didn't necessarily want Crane towering over her all evening. 

She neglected to ask what he was wearing and she hoped it wasn't going to be something embarrassing he got from those reenactment people. When he went out with Katrina that one time he looked just fine. Hopefully he'd show up like that. And eventually she'd be able to talk him into wearing a pair of chinos instead of breeches. 

Pacing. She was actually pacing like a teenager waiting for her prom date to show up. And obsessively looking at the time. Abbie didn't remember being like this when she started dating Luke. They'd meet for drinks after a shift or watch some Netflix at her place before she'd send him on his way for the night. 

This... had her nervous. Very nervous. Maybe it was going to be different this time around which was a thought that made her even more nervous. She checked her phone out of habit but she had no messages on which to focus to set her mind at ease. She also had no messages from Crane so he wasn't backing out of their date. 

No, this was going to happen. Rationally she knew she could relax. It was only her partner and they were doing things they'd done so many times before. Nothing had to be different. 

Unless she wanted it to be different. Did she want it to be different? 

Abbie didn't have time to think about that before she heard his familiar knock on her apartment door. She took a deep breath and readied herself for whatever may happen next. 

She turned the deadbolt and opened her door to find Ichabod Crane standing there, a small cellophane wrapped bouquet of bright pink and yellow flowers in his hand. And something else was different, too. Abbie waved him in and closed the door behind him and just stood there, staring. 

“Well! Look at you!” 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

To Be Continued

Come and visit my [Tumblr!](http://like_bunnies.tumblr.com/)


	2. Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abbie Mills and Ichabod Crane go on a first date. Everyone overthinks a few things.

“I still can't believe you went shopping. You look so uncomfortable!” 

They were leaving the movie theater and Crane would readily admit to be uncomfortable. For the evening, he had traded in his breeches for a pair of navy trousers (with a zipper and a belt) and his favorite shirt for something with buttons and a collar all in bright blue. The clerk told him it made his eyes 'pop' and he was certain by her tone this was a good thing even though it sounded painful. She added some sort of vest in place of the waistcoat he had wanted to wear and told him he looked perfect. Anything for a sale. But there was no way he was giving up his boots or his coat. Not even for a 'date' with Miss Mills. He did pull his hair back for the first time in a long time. 

“It does chafe around the neck,” he said, pulling at the stiff collar. Maybe he should have left his hair down. 

“I asked if you wanted to go back to the cabin and change between dinner and the movie and you said no,” Abbie reminded him.

“I didn't want you to think I had other motives for returning to my home or that I was trying to get you alone,” Crane said as they made their way to the parking lot and her car. 

“How many times has it been just the two of us in the cabin? I was worried that you would overthink this whole dating thing because now you know about _that._ I knew this would happen. I knew it,” Abbie said and he reached for her hand, taking it in his. 

“Lieutenant, I have over-thought this whole evening from the color of the flowers and what each bloom represents to whether these infernal trousers should be brown or blue but that is the one thing I haven't thought about at all,” he admitted. Abbie rolled her eyes in disbelief and he sighed. “I wanted to have an enjoyable evening together for a change. One that didn't involve monsters or Apocryphical texts. I wanted to show to you that for this to work, I'm willing to do anything, even if that includes spending a king's ransom on this shirt.”

“It does look good on you. It makes your eyes –”

“Pop?” 

“Yes.” 

They reached the car and he wasn't ready to let go of her hand just yet. 

“That also means I'm willing to do whatever you want whenever you want to. Even if that is nothing, I will be by your side,” he said, hoping he believed her. She looked down, her long eyelashes brushing against her face and Crane released her hand to tip her chin up so she'd look at him. “Miss Mills... Abbie, please believe me.”

“And I want you to know that if you ever decide you aren't ready for this dating thing because of the loss of your wife or for whatever reason, that will be okay. The only expectation I have of you is that you wear your normal clothes if they are more comfortable,” she said, offering him a slight smile. “Maybe this shirt again a few times. I really do like it.”

He watched her and so wanted to kiss her but knew she wasn't ready for that. He was going to allow her to lead whatever was going to happen between them and he would follow. Instead, he folded her into his arms for a quick hug before releasing her so she could unlock the car doors. 

“Where to next? Or do you really want to go home so you can change your clothes?” Abbie asked as he walked around to the passenger side of her SUV. 

“I spent months in General Washington's army in an unwashed woolen uniform. I am certain I can survive this for a while longer,” Crane said, giving the collar another tug. “If it makes you happy.”

“Oh, it does.”

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Neither of them were ready for the night to end just yet so Abbie found herself sitting across from him at a small table at Mabie's. The music that had been playing when they arrived was dying down and karaoke was going to start up soon but she wasn't completely sure she was going to get up on the stage and sing tonight. Then again, she loved watching him watch her sing. Out of all the things they did (like saving the world) he always looked the proudest as she stood up there and sang. 

“Are you going to perform tonight, Lieutenant?” he asked, his eyes almost pleading for her to go do so. Instead she took another sip of her beer and shrugged. 

“If I do, maybe I'll pick out something completely cliché and embarrassing. You'll be sorry,” Abbie joked, feeling a little tipsy. That was ridiculous. She had barely touched her drink and yet, there was this feeling of – happiness? She was a little scared of what choices she might make with this feeling bubbling up through her combined with the way Crane was looking at her. And the way he looked. No. She was in control of this. Like in the past with everyone else, she was in control. Completely. 

“Not that song about the end of the world as we know it again?” he asked and she shook her head. “The woman who will survive?” 

“You'll just have to wait.”

“Oh, so it will be a song by your Miss Turner then?” Crane guessed and Abbie gave him a little kick under the table. 

“No fair guessing. You'll just have to wait.”

“It doesn't matter to me. You could sing about your true love going off to war and ne'er returning and I'd be happy to listen,” Crane said and with the look he was giving her right now, she believed him. 

“Yeah, I'll study up on my sad Revolutionary-era songs for our second date,” Abbie said, her eyes meeting his gaze and holding onto it. With an eyebrow cocked, he gave her a slight nod in understanding. She wanted this to happen again. 

But first she was going to go sing. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

She was amazing. Of course, Crane already knew this but each time she sang, she was better than the last. The crowd was really enjoying her song choice and her stage performance and by the time she was done, everyone was clapping steadily. She walked through the people, many telling her what a great job she did, and back to her seat. 

“I knew you would do a song by Miss Turner but I have never heard you perform that one one before,” he said, standing to pull out her chair. She sat down took a sip of her beer before speaking. 

“I thought it would be fun to do something totally new. You know, besides go out on a date with you. And I wanted our evening to end on something upbeat,” she said as he sat down again. 

“Our evening has to end already?” Crane asked, hoping that they could stay and listen to a few more songs. Really, he didn't care about the singing. He just wanted to stay with her. 

“I really should be going. There's something I want to research in the archives in the morning and this way you can go home and slip into something more comfortable,” Abbie joked. Crane stood as she did and watched as she put her coat back on before he could offer to help. “Do you want me to drop you off at the cabin?”

“No, I'll walk home but please let me escort you to your car,” he said. Everything suddenly grew awkward between them and he didn't like it at all. “I promise I expect nothing but to make sure you arrive at your car safely.”

Abbie shrugged her shoulders. “Okay.” 

They left the bar and went out into the quiet of the parking lot. “I haven't been on a first date with someone, well, ever, because this whole dating concept – anyway, I want to tell you that I really enjoyed our evening together and –”

“Crane?” 

“Yes?”

“I had a good time, too. Thank you. Are you sure you don't want a ride home?” 

“A leisurely walk in the moonlight seems like a good way to end such a lovely day,” he said, watching her and waiting for her to open her car, get in, and leave him here. 

But before she did that, she pulled him into a comforting embrace, her head against his chest. He folded his arms around her, holding on for as long as she allowed him to. Then without warning, she was on her toes and kissing him gently on the cheek. It went too fast and as soon as she was done, she pulled away from him. He wanted her back in his arms for just a few more seconds but she was already digging the keys out of her pocket and pressing the button that unlocked the doors. 

“Goodnight, Crane,” she said as she got in the car. 

“Goodnight, Miss Mills,” he said. Before he knew it, he was watching her taillights fade away into the night. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

She knew the words by heart now but sometimes she had to be reminded exactly what being a Witness meant. Granted, she hadn't been given the power to change water into blood or dry up the lands yet so there was really no reason for her to take it to be the literal truth but what if it were?

 _Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them._

That didn't even cover the leaving their defeated bodies out for all to mock. Abbie sat back in her chair and stifled a laugh. Instead of trying to prevent this from coming about, the two Witnesses were now going out to dinner and the movies together. 

Maybe somewhere in one of the archive's texts she'd find that this was part of the plan. Maybe joining two olive trees together made them stronger. There had to be a word for when that happened to trees. Crane would know. She was actually surprised he wasn't here yet. It was Sunday but that didn't stop him from poring over the latest newspapers from around the world like Corbin used to do, waiting for something to signal the next step of their journey. With the exception of whatever it was they were chasing in the woods the other night, the news had been slow. 

She was about to Google 'twisted olive trees' when Crane finally walked in. He was back in his usual clothing and as much as she had enjoyed seeing him in something new for a change, this looked... right.

“Good morning, Lieutenant. Did you sleep well?” he queried before he started his preparations to make himself a cup of tea. 

“I... yeah. I did. Hey, what's it called when one tree grows into another tree. Not grafting but when they kind of get twisted naturally and their bark becomes one with the other?” she asked and he gave her a puzzled look. 

“Inosculation. Why? Is something happening to the trees around Sleepy Hollow that I should be aware of?” he asked. 

“No, no... nothing with Sleepy Hollow. I was just doing some research and I was wondering. That's all,” Abbie said, knowing he wouldn't let it go that easily. That or why she was here so early on a Sunday when she was usually still in her bed at this hour if she had the weekend off. She was too unsettled for that today. He stood behind her at her table and looked over her shoulder. 

“Contemplating our roles as Witnesses again, I see. And our future demise,” he said. 

“And rebirth.”

“Yes, that too.” He never seemed to be as concerned about it as she was. Perhaps because he had already been 'dead' once and brought back from the grave. “All of which we will get through together.”

“Why are you always so sure of that? Why are you always so sure of me?” Abbie asked. The last few days were messing with her head and she didn't like it. That was a lie. She liked some of the mess in her head. And the way Crane had his hand on her shoulder as he was reading the papers in front of her. The warmth from just that touch spread through her and – was she losing her mind?

“Because you're you. Why wouldn't I be sure of you? Look at what you've gone through for me already.”

“No more than you've done for me,” she said, thinking about the day she knew he'd rather forget. He removed his hand from her shoulder and she missed the contact immediately. She was losing it. 

He returned with his cup of tea and sat in the chair beside her table. “Anything in the news?” he asked and she shook her head. It really had been slow for a while now. Like evil was waiting for something. 

Crane took the newspaper anyway and browsed through it, asking her a question about 'this day in history' like he did most everyday. Something about microwave ovens. She was too distracted to answer. Or even really hear the question. 

There had to be an answer in the archives somewhere about what would happen if the two Witnesses grew closer than it implied in those few verses in the Bible. Someone had to know. The problem was it wasn't something easily researched. Where would she even start? Googling 'Will inserting the tab on Witness A into the slot on Witness B bring about a cataclysmic change?'

A cataclysmic change to what? Weather patterns? Sun spots? Her heart? 

“Shall we get out of the archives for the day, Lieutenant? Spend some time in the beautiful fall weather before winter is upon us again?” Crane asked, shaking her from her thoughts. 

“Hm? Sorry. I was kind of drifting,”Abbie said, looking at the ad in the newspaper he was holding in front of her. “Are you asking me out on another date? So soon? To there?” 

“Yes, I believe I am. Would you please join me? We can discuss what you're so concerned about on our drive there,” Crane said, taking another look at the newspaper page and setting it aside. 

“Sure. I haven't been there in years. But we don't have to discuss anything. This is something that will work itself out – or not – in time. I promise you, you'll know when I know,” Abbie said and Crane gave her a quizzical look but soon accepted she wasn't ready to discuss it. She stood, shrugged on her jacket with his help, and they left with her hand tucked in the crook of his arm. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

To Be Continued...

Notes: The song I imagined Abbie singing was "River Deep, Mountain High." She'll probably be singing again soon. 

I have no clue where Crane got enough money to head to Sleepy Hollow's version of a Men's Wearhouse but there you go.

Also, I know he has on 'trousers' and shoes-not-boots when he goes out with Katrina in Pittura Infamante but imagine something a little more casual than that outfit.


	3. Responsibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another date, this one more fun than the last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter sitting in a hotel room last night and I will have to fess up and let you all know that I live in a place with no autumn so I had to wing it! I'm getting better. Sometimes I forget seasons exist at all. Also, the rating is changing. And will be changing more soon. All errors are mine.

“Crane! Catch!”

He turned around just in time to grab a small pumpkin soaring toward his head. “Are you trying to kill me with a flying gourd?”

“I would have picked a bigger pumpkin if that was my goal,” Abbie said with a grin. She retrieved her baseball-size pumpkin (though he was right and technically this was indeed a gourd) back from him and gave it another little toss, catching it with ease before setting it back on the ground. “Find anything?”

“I'm not sure what I'm looking for just yet,” he said, searching and feeling completely befuddled surrounded by a sea of orange. 

“Find something we can carve later. Get two so each of us can do one,” she said, stepping over some pumpkins to get to the next row. “Then we'll toast up the seeds. Drink some cider.”

“Pumpkins. Another tradition I just don't grasp.” 

“Oh, come on. Samhain and All Hallows' Eve certainly aren't new to you.”

“No, but hanging plastic bones and fibrous webs from all the trees most certainly is a new concept,” he said and she was shaking her head at him. 

“It's not like you just dragged your skinny ass out of that cave yesterday. You've seen the bones and the webs for what? Two years now? You don't have to complain about them every year. Besides, this year is different. We'll be carving pumpkins together,” she said. He gave her a nod in agreement with this idea. As long as they were doing this together, he'd be fine with it. “You were the one who wanted to come out here. If not for the pumpkins, then what for?”

“I have my reasons. You'll just have to wait,” Crane said, teasing her enough to make her cock her head to the side and consider what sort of mischief he was up to. “Trust me, Lieutenant, it will be fine. As long as you don't try to kill me a pumpkin again.”

“A gourd.”

“My cracked skull will hardly care about the difference,” he said. “Now, which would you prefer? A tall one? A short one? I think I will pick out a short one. I do like the shorter ones.”

“And I like the taller ones,” she said, walking a little further down the row of pumpkins. He stepped over to the same row and followed her. “This one looks good. Nice and distinguished.”

Crane had no clue how a pumpkin could look distinguished but he let it go. Just to see her enjoying herself this much for two days in a row was enough. He didn't need to make a quip every time. He picked her choice up with ease and nodded his head at a smaller, shorter pumpkin that was just perfect. Abbie agreed and picked it up, tucking it safely in her arms. 

“Shall we purchase these now? We need to be at the barn in twenty minutes,” Crane said, looking at the store-bought scarecrow pointing the way to the cash register. 

“What's at the barn? I didn't dress for anything in a barn,” Abbie said, looking down at her good leather boots. 

“You'll see, Lieutenant. You'll see.”

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

“A hayride?” Abbie said as Crane offered her his hand so she could step up onto the wagon with ease. She hadn't done one of these since high school and that was with a bunch of drunk and rowdy friends and some guy whose name she hardly remembered. 

“A horse-drawn hayride, Abigail Mills. There's a difference. Good to see you again. How have you been doing?” a man in overalls and a baseball cap said as he walked around the side of the hay-strewn wagon. 

“I've been doing okay, Hank. I'd like you to meet... um... meet my...”

“Consulting partner, Ichabod Crane,” Crane said, recovering for her so very smoothly. He reached out and shook the other man's hand gracefully. 

“This is Hank Burnett. He owns Moon Meadows Farm. He and he his wife, Carolyn, took me in for a while during, you know,” Abbie said and Crane nodded.

“Sorry we couldn't have kept you longer, Abbie, but after Craig died, you know, Carolyn just couldn't handle anything else,” Hank said, looking down at his work boots and kicking the dirt. 

“Hank, it's okay,” Abbie said, reaching out to touch the farmer on the shoulder. “Crane, you better get a seat before we back the line up too much farther.”

“My youngest, Kyle, will be driving the wagon today. I'm sure you'll have a good time, Abbie. Mr. Crane,” he said, tipping his ball cap slightly as he walked away. 

“So this was your plan? Nice,” Abbie said as they settled beside each other on a bale of hay. “You could have told me. I would have brought a blanket.”

“I'm sure we'll be able to find a way to stay warm, Lieutenant,” Crane said and she had to give him the tiniest of eye-rolls. “Would you like my coat?”

“No, but you can move closer. There. Now give me your arm. Better. Much better,” Abbie said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and snuggling in next to him. Other people were filling in around them, a few couples, some with boisterous children and she used this as an excuse to move a little closer to Crane. She nestled her head on his chest and she could swear she could hear his heart beating over all the noise around them. 

Her one hand rested casually near his knee as the wagon started to move. The clip-clopping of horse hooves led the way down the autumnal path and she had to admit it was a beautiful day for this. The crisp fall air. The sound of the kids laughing. The cozy feel of his arm around her, holding her close. 

For a few minutes, she couldn't even remember what she was so scared of in the archives this morning. Maybe there was nothing to be scared of when she was with him. Maybe this was a separate thing from the whole Witness thing. 

Maybe, but she wasn't going to count on it. Not just yet. 

She felt him shift on the bale of hay and was worried he was going to move away from her. But instead, he placed a quick, soft kiss on her temple and she closed her eyes, suddenly wanting this crazy, heart pounding feeling that came from being so close to Crane. She wanted more from him than she wanted from any man before. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

“A 'Corn Ma(i)ze.' Very amusing. What have you all done to the English language? Might was well just paint a 'lol' after it,” Crane said, reading the sign while the two of them sipped hot cider and tried to decided whether they wanted to try the maze or not. Didn't they already have enough run-ins with creepy things without inviting trouble by wandering through a cornfield on purpose?

“Let's do it. If we get lost, I'm sure they'll send someone in after us before dark,” Abbie said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Besides, we've been in far worse places than Hank Burnett's mapped out cornfield maze.”

“This is true. I was lost in a number of cornfields during a few battles with General –” 

Abbie silenced him with a gentle nudge that he had grown accustomed to by now. It was the 'not in front of the people' nudge. She had a look that told him the same exact thing that she used from a distance but this was definitely a time for the nudge. 

They finished their cider and she pulled him to the entrance of the maze. “Let's get going before all the kids,” she said, taking his hand in hers as they started to go deeper and deeper into the corn. 

“If you don't like haunted houses, why would you enjoy this?” Crane asked. It did seem rather puzzling to him. It wasn't the 'haunted corn maze' that he saw Hank had set up for after dark on Fridays and Saturdays with the obvious intent of drawing adolescents in, but it was eerie nonetheless. 

“Because this isn't haunted. It's just a path through the corn and in a few weeks it won't be here anymore. Nothing to worry about at all,” she said. 

“Death by starvation if we don't find a way out.”

“Didn't they have those fancy mazes in England? I saw Harry Potter. Those kids –”

“First of all, I saw that particular Harry Potter film with you and that maze tried to kill those children. Wait, it did kill –” 

“That wasn't the maze that killed –”

“Second of all, where exactly is it you think I grew up that I'd have a hedge maze in my own backyard?” Crane asked, looking at her incredulously. 

“I don't know. Didn't you all have one of those?” Abbie asked, letting go of his hand and turning around to face him, walking backward a few steps in front of him. 

“A small one.”

“See.”

“At my great uncle's estate. My older cousins used to hide in there and try to scare me. They usually succeeded,” Crane said and Abbie laughed. He stopped walking and put his hands on his hips. “It wasn't funny. Elias was a cruel boy.” 

“You poor thing,” Abbie said, walking the few steps to him. “But I'm pretty sure he's long gone by now and if his spirit isn't, I doubt he's haunting this particular cornfield. Unless he hated you just that much.”

“I wouldn't doubt it. He was a spiteful human being.”

“I'll keep you safe,” she said, moving another step closer and moving her jacket enough to show that she had her service weapon with her. She was also close enough to take his hands in hers. He was studying her face, trying to assess what she was going to do next, never quite sure these last couple of days. 

Everything was changing so quickly between them and he was so scared that she would put an end to it any minutes now. That's what scared him. That. Not Elias and his maze of terror. He was too old and had seen too much to be scared of such silly things now. No, he was scared of suffering another broken heart so soon. When you think you're never going to have to feel that pain again because you have found someone you swear your life to, once is enough. He didn't want to do it twice if she changed her mind. 

Before he could get too far lost in those cloudy, painful thoughts, he blinked them away and looked at her. She was so beautiful. So unlike anything he thought would come into his life ever. Tough and feisty and yet there was something so caring and – 

Abbie was on her toes again, just like last night, and he was expecting another quick kiss on his cheek. Instead her soft lips met his for a kiss. She dropped his hands and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer. His hands went to her face, needing her kiss so badly after these last few months that he couldn't stop the tiny moan that rose up from his chest. 

He tried to remember the proper dating etiquette she said she wasn't going to follow anyway. Kissing on the first date. Good thing this was their second. Sexual relations after the third date. He could only hope for so much but would never push for such a thing. Not from Abbie. She had to be sure. Especially because, well, he'd never say it to her, but especially because of _that._

“Moooooooommmmmm! The lady and this weird guy are kissing!” a small but shrill voice cried out, ending that kiss immediately. Crane stepped back from Abbie and tried to not look too mortified for being caught kissing the Lieutenant by a whining school child. He smoothed down his coat and nodded at Abbie who was trying hard to not laugh. 

The mother turned the corner to where they were standing and started apologizing for 'Ethan' immediately, soon hurrying off down the maze with the other kids in tow. 

“Well, not exactly how imagined our first kiss. Not bad but I didn't plan on 'Ethan.' That's for sure,” Abbie said. 

“So you imagined our first kiss? For how long?” Crane asked and Abbie grew flustered. He wouldn't want to have to admit to her long he thought about it. He never wanted to admit it to himself since he thought about it well before his wife died. And he didn't want to feel more guilty than he already did about how very little guilt he felt right now about the manner of her death. 

“For a while, okay? Yes. I have thought about it. I am only human.” 

“How did you imagine our second kiss?” he asked. 

“How about we get out of this maze and I'll show you later?” 

Abbie took his hand in hers again and began walking in the direction to the entrance of the maze. 

“This isn't the way out.”

“No, it's not. But I know this way so it won't take much time. I have no clue how long it is yet to the other end. Could take hours,” she said. 

“You have a fair point. Let's go this way,” he said, following her lead. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

“Oh, this is disgusting!”

“Crane, it's just pumpkin guts. You have to get it all out of there or it will get really gross once we put them outside. Especially if there's a warm day,” Abbie said. Her pumpkin was all scooped out, the stringy insides piled up on an old newspaper, the seeds separated to toast later. 

“And you don't even use any of this for anything?” he asked, shaking more of the orange goop off of his fingers. His coat was off and his sleeves were rolled up. 

“These aren't the kind you use to bake pies. Besides, it's just easier to use the stuff out of the cans for that anyway,” Abbie said and he stopped his scooping. 

“Does everything have to be the easy way with your generation?”

“Trust me, my generation didn't invent pie filling in a can. And yes, the easy way is great when one has to be at work by 8 o'clock tomorrow morning. So stop complaining and dig,” she said, pointing at him with her carving knife. 

“Yes, ma'am,” he said, soon finished with innards of his pumpkin. He grabbed another carving knife from her knife block and followed her lead. Soon they both had carved traditional jack-o'- lanterns, one tall and lanky, one short and curvy. 

“Nice. Next year we can try some of those harder patterns but this is good. I like old style,” she said, breaking open the package containing the flickering LED pumpkin lights she was going to put in them.

“You say you like 'old style' and then you don't even use a candle,” he said, giving her that look. 

“Don't want to burn down the town. Wouldn't look good on my record,” she said, placing the lights in both of the the pumpkins while Crane went about cleaning up the mess, bagging the garbage, and washing his hands. “Okay, turn out the lights.”

He did as she instructed and then stood beside her to watch them blink with a well-timed electronic glow. 

“I'm truly terrified,” he said, and Abbie swatted his arm for that. 

“I'll give you something to be terrified of if you keep that up,” she said, and he caught her hand in his and kissed the back of it. 

“You want to sit down for a while? Enjoy the pumpkin glow?” she asked. She wasn't really sure what she was doing and was beginning to doubt her control anymore. Two dates, Abbie. Yeah, two years of purgatory and hell and nightmares and him always finding her and saving her or her saving him AND two dates. She didn't just meet him Friday. 

And that was the problem. She didn't just meet him Friday. Then this would be easy. A goodnight kiss and out the door. But this was Crane. 

“I...” he said, and she could tell he was just as unsure as she was about what the hell to do. 

“Okay. We're just going to go to the couch. Sex is off the table for the tonight anyway because I smell like pumpkin and corn and hay and I think maybe horses. I can't tell what that is but it is probably horses. Does that help matters any?” she asked and he nodded. She turned on a soft light and they both sat on the couch, a little awkward again. How did she manage to end every date in such an awkward manner? 

To change that, she snuggled in close to him again and just like on the hayride, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. This was nice. The only thing that would be nicer would be that second kiss. 

Abbie turned in his arms, and moved onto his lap. His eyes grew wide and she put a finger against his lips. “I said sex was off the table. I didn't say anything about making out. I might be a virgin, Crane, but it's not like I grew up locked in a convent. I like making out. I like a lot of things.” 

He kissed her finger until she pulled it away and replaced it with her lips. It was sweet and slow at first, with gentle explorations. Her tongue tried this. His tried that. She nipped at his sweet bottom lip and he followed suit with hers. 

And then the time for sweetness was over. His hands were wrapped around her waist and her fingers were twisted in his hair, pulling him closer. Abbie's mouth opened when he insisted and she could feel his hunger for her. 

She pulled away and kissed other parts of his face now, fluttering kisses everywhere. The long, flat part on the bridge of his nose. The tiny scar on his forehead she never remembered to ask about. His closed eyelids, lashes fluttering slightly under her gentle touch. She kissed his neck, tasting him. Smelling him. She loved his neck and had wanted to do this for so long. He leaned back further into the couch cushions as she explored the skin left bare by the V of his shirt. 

He brushed his fingertips against her cheek and she turned and caught a long, beautiful finger in her mouth, sucking it in and releasing it and doing it all over again. He gasped from the sensation, his eyes open now. Open and darker than she had ever seen them yet filled with a look of surprise. She had told him she had done other things. What did he think that meant?

Abbie was straddling his lap now and there was no way she could ignore other parts of him. She could sink down between his knees and take him into her mouth but – 

Before she could do one more thing, he moved her off of his lap and onto the couch. 

“I... uh, Abbie... I don't want to embarrass myself. I think, all things considered, it would be best if we stopped for now. I want nothing more to pick you up and take you to your bed but I don't want you to regret this tomorrow. I don't want you to hate me because we got caught up in the swelling tide of emotions we're both feeling,” he said and she nodded. He was right. 

She closed her eyes, trying to find her calm center and her control. It was there. It had always been there for her before and she could find it again. 

“Thank you,” she said. 

“For what?” 

“For being you,” 

“You know how it is, Lieutenant. With great power comes great responsibility,” he said. She opened her eyes and blinked at him a few times. 

“You are going to sit there on my couch looking all hot and bothered and quote Spider-Man to me?” she asked. 

“Someone has to,” he said and she laughed. 

“I could get used to this so easily,” she said, sighing and wishing this was all they had to be. It would make it so much easier. 

“So could I, Lieutenant. So could I.”

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

To Be Continued

Notes: Hope I didn't mess up any pumpkin history too much. I love October. It's my birth month. I love autumn. Too bad I never see it. 

And I tried to do a quick reference to Washington Irving's _The Legend of Sleepy Hollow._ Without killing anyone.


	4. Lapses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abbie maintains control and Crane ends up naked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was like pulling teeth after the last chapter, which just seemed to write itself in the middle of the night. No one wanted to behave in this. Then they wanted to get carried away. *sigh*

“Hey, Crane. What's up?” Jenny asked as she entered the archives to find him alone at a table, looking through a book. “Abbie isn't back in town yet?” 

“I wasn't even aware she had left town. That explains why I can't find her anywhere but doesn't explain why she's not answering her phone,” he said, closing the book and setting it aside. “How long did she plan on being away... and where?” 

“I have no idea. I figured you'd know. She said it had something to do with some research she was doing so I assumed she had discussed it with you,” Jenny answered, sitting in the chair nearest to his table. 

He couldn't imagine her not discussing something important with him after all their talks about, well, talking. After the last few days, he also couldn't imagine her leaving without at least calling or texting and saying goodbye. 

“I don't understand. Did something happen?” Crane asked and she shrugged. 

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Jenny said, now cocking an eyebrow at him. He returned the expression right back at her. 

“If you're implying that your sister and I... no, nothing happened.” He had no clue how much Abbie had told her sister about any of their dates but had to assume that, as sisters, they had probably discussed something. “So nothing happened that either of us are aware of. I last saw her Sunday night at her apartment but we were only carving pumpkins.”

“Uh huh. Well, you know Abbie. She's definitely fine wherever she might be and will probably call any second now.”

“Yes, she can take care of herself,” Crane said as his thoughts turned to the numerous things that could have happened over the last day or so. Or what if it was what happened after the pumpkin carving? Did it upset her? He felt a flutter in his stomach just recalling that time with her and was sure there was a flush spreading across his cheeks. If Jenny noticed, she said nothing. 

“Crane, can you promise me one thing?” Jenny asked, reaching out and putting a hand on his arm. 

“I won't ever hurt her. Not intentionally. I realize that the last two years have most assuredly been difficult with some of the decisions I have made but –” 

“Oh, I know that and I think Abbie knows, too, that but that wasn't what I was going to ask. I want you to promise me you won't give up on her. Abbie can make things, well, difficult, especially in the dating department. She can be stubborn but I know you can, too. So no matter what, don't give up,” Jenny said. 

“I have no intentions of giving up but –” 

“No. Just promise me that, okay?” She patted his arm a few times and stood up to leave. “I'll try calling her again and I'll tell her to get her buns home.” 

Crane cringed and Jenny laughed as she walked toward the exit. “Thank you, Miss Jenny.”

“See you later, Crane,” she called out, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He stood and went to where Abbie was last working, her papers scattered about. Maybe he'd find a clue as to what was bothering her before she returned. 

After studying everything for a few hours, all he had learned was that Abbie was researching something on olive trees, souls, and end of world. It wasn't much to go on. Nearly every other piece of paper in here was on the end of the world. What did she need to find that she couldn't find here? If he didn't hear from her soon, he'd have to go looking for her. Not that he had any idea where to start beyond having Jenny come back to track her phone. No, he'd just have to be patient. It's not like she had just disappeared. She told her sister she had something to do. 

But she didn't tell him and try as hard as he might to not let it bother him, it still did. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

It was well after midnight when Abbie entered the archives, surprised to find the lights still burning bright. Even more surprised to find Crane sitting at a table, watching her as if he had been there for hours waiting for her arrival. 

“Miss Mills,” he said with a curt nod of his head. She knew he was pissed. Crane's eyes could never hide it when he was mad. She had seen it directed her way only a few times, several more times toward Katrina. 

“What are you still doing here so late?” she asked, not feeling up to any of his tantrums tonight. 

“I'm here waiting for you to explain where in the hell you've been the last two days. You left without saying a word. Even Miss Jenny wasn't sure exactly where you were,” he said, his words very clipped and controlled. 

“Are we having our first fight as a couple? Is that what this is going to be?” Abbie asked. She didn't really even know how to define their relationship right at this moment. Two dates. Kissing. Did that make them a couple? Or was it all the 'I would die for you' moments beforehand? She was sure that didn't count considering he was married during many of those moments. This was so confusing. 

“I don't want to argue. I just want to know what was so important that you left without even a text to me – not one word. I don't know how to define our relationship just yet but I thought we were well past secrets and doing things without telling the other,” he said, still giving her that look. 

“Listen, before I pursue whatever this might eventually become between us, I had to find out a few things, okay? I had to see if there were any unknown ramifications to the Witnesses doing something besides Witnessing. Aren't you at all worried about what this could mean?” she asked and from his expression she could tell that he clearly was not. Why would he be? He and his dead wife already gave birth to the Horseman of War. What could be worse? 

“If this is your way of putting an end to this before it even gets started, all you had to do was say something,” he said, his voice growing less stern. Less like that Captain Crane she met back in 1781. 

“No, it's not that.” 

Abbie needed some time to collect her thoughts and he wasn't going to give it to her. She walked across the room, feeling his eyes watch her with each step, and sank down into one of the leather armchairs. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, trying to center herself again. She didn't open her eyes until she heard him settling in the chair beside her. 

“Where have you been?” he asked. She looked at him, watching his face, realizing just how worried he had been. This wasn't something Abbie was used to yet. Sure, as a partner but not as... more. They would need a word to define them eventually. This look of relief on his face had usually been reserved for Katrina. Saving Katrina. Maybe it was there the few times he had saved her but had she pushed those thoughts away? She could never have him while Katrina was there so she ignored all of this the best she could. 

“I was in the city. I met with some leaders from other faiths. I wanted their opinions on a few things,” she said. He looked confused and waited for her to continue. “Okay... say we go on a few more dates and things get serious. Would that open the flood gates to some special hell we don't know about yet?” 

“And?”

“No one knows. So I had some other questions. The three and a half years and then the seven years. Which is it for us? Say we want to settle down, buy a house with a white picket fence, have a family –”

“Aren't you putting the cart before the horse?” 

“Am I? Don't tell me you haven't thought about that?” He didn't deny it. Just looked down at his hands on his lap. “What if we have a kid and it's a worse outcome than your last child? What if our child really brings about the end?”

“How?”

“I don't know. I looked up a few things. Asked around about a few ideas. Like the Tree of Souls. Preexistence. The Guf. What is needed to bring about the end times in other religions. Crane, I just wanted some answers before this thing with you... before I can't turn back. But the thing is, I already can't turn back, okay?” Abbie implored, and now he looked at her again. His eyes were no longer filled with any sort of anger or fear but complete understanding. 

“I love you, too,” he said softly, somehow knowing she wasn't going to be able to say the words first. 

“And that terrifies me,” she said with a nervous giggle. He sat forward in his chair and reached for her hands, holding them between his own. “It's exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time and I just want to be sure.”

“Is there ever a way of being sure? Of having complete control of the situation?” he asked. She took a deep breath and shook her head. “So you take control of what you can. That's the best you can do.”

She stood and pulled him to standing, too. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close as she clutched onto him. “I'm scared,” Abbie said, her voice barely a whisper. She didn't even really know what she was scared of anymore. Letting go? The freedom that would come with that?

“I will be with you through all of it, Lieutenant. I will be with you until the end,” he said, kissing her on the top of her head. 

“It's getting late,” Abbie said, still holding him close. “You want me to drive you home?” 

“Only if you want to.”

“Yeah, come on. Let's get out of here.” 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Crane still had a thousand questions for her about where she had been and to whom she had spoken. When she put the car in park in front of the cabin, he asked if she wanted to come in, expecting her to give him excuses as to why it was best she went home. Instead of excuses, she asked if he had coffee because she'd really like some. 

They went inside, not saying much as he prepared a pot of coffee for her and a cup of tea for himself. She settled down on the couch and after he handed her a cup of coffee, he started a fire in the large hearth to chase away the chill. When he was satisfied that the flames were high enough to stay lit, Crane sat beside her. He kept some distance between them, not wanting her to feel ill at ease. 

He had so wanted to be angry with her for leaving like she did but the confusion on her face erased all of that. He was the one who should be torn about this situation. His wife was barely dead and he was in love with someone else. Maybe it was worse than that. Sometimes he was certain the reason he wanted Katrina freed from purgatory so badly was because of his feelings toward Abbie. He was too cowardly to ever make a real decision but how could he? He was married to Katrina for a few hundred years before he ever stumbled upon Abigail Mills. 

But now there was nothing standing between them except fear of the future. 

“Tell me about your journeys,” he said, reaching out for her. She moved closer, snuggling under his arm, her feet curled up on the couch. 

“There isn't much more to tell you. Some people thought I was crazy. Most couldn't agree on a single story that would explain how the world would end and what part the two Witnesses will have in the coming years. Except death seems pretty damn certain,” she said. Setting her coffee on the table, she took hold of one of his hands and held it tight. 

“Death is always certain,” he said and she sighed. “We have to make the most of our time until then.”

“Or better yet, put an end to this apocalyptic bullshit because I'm getting pretty tired of it,” she said and they both laughed. She leaned closer into him and he held her as close as he could. 

“This particular apocalypse has lost its luster as of late. But I promise you, Lieutenant, we can get through anything together. This bond we share is going to get us through, but you have to trust me. In everything. Do you trust me?” Crane asked and Abbie didn't answer right away. Finally, he felt her nod her head. “Stay the night.”

“What?”

“Nothing more than spending the night here with me. Trust me, Abbie.”

“I think I've heard this before,” she said, pulling away from him and out of his arms, giving him her skeptical look. “Right up there with 'I'll only put it in a little bit' and other lies guys will tell you.”

“I've never said any such thing to a lady! And you seem to be completely ignoring the fact that I haven't even tried to kiss you yet since you've been here,” Crane said and Abbie turned to him.

“Yeah, why is that?” she asked. 

“Do you want me to?” he asked. Her eyes were now lit up by the fire and she had a coy smile on her face. Oh, how he wanted to kiss her. Ever since the other night, he had wanted to kiss her again – a thousand times again – but she had left town. 

“Of course I do. But this couch is the least comfortable piece of furniture on earth and maybe the ugliest. I'm certain Corbin picked it up on the side of the road. Come here,” Abbie said, standing up and holding out her hand. He took it and she pulled him up from the couch, leading him to his bedroom. 

“Abbie...” 

“I trust you.”

“Abbie...”

“More importantly, I trust me and tonight isn't the night. I mean, we haven't even been on a third date yet. We should at least do that. And you need to come to my house for Thanksgiving dinner. That's kind of a boyfriend sort of thing to do, isn't it?” she asked and Crane moaned. “There will be rum. And who knows what else.” 

“Boyfriend?'

“Too modern for you?” she asked. They were in his room now, the lights off, and she was pushing his coat off of his shoulders. She put if over the back of a chair and he sat on the edge of the bed, pulling his boots and stockings off. This all seemed so normal. So right. Like they belonged together doing this every night. It was all so very modern. 

She slid her leather jacket off and then sat beside him, taking her boots off and putting them next to his.

“I, uh, could get used to these modern ways,” he said, scooting across the bed. She followed him, ending up in his arms again. Just the flicker of firelight reached this far but not its warmth. Crane pulled an old, soft quilt over the two of them. 

“Crane?”

“Yes?”

“There still hasn't been any kissing.” 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

As hungry as his kisses had been the other night, they were now soft and gentle. Abbie let him explore her face with his lips, feeling every little kiss as it landed on her cheeks and her temples and the curve of her jaw. 

Her fears about their future slipped away as his mouth brushed over hers, his lips so soft and his beard just the right amount of scratchy. She pulled loose the cord holding back his hair and it fell over their faces, tickling her nose. Crane rolled them so that now his head was on the pillow and she was looking down into his eyes. His fingers played with the ends of her hair, where it was just starting to curl, and it was one of those breathless moments she still couldn't quite believe was happening. 

She had wanted him so long. Had to pretend for so long she wasn't at all jealous of what he had with Katrina because she had no choice. It wasn't like she lost out on a guy she had known in high school. She lost out on a guy over 250 years ago. But now...

“What are you thinking?” he asked as he tucked her hair behind her ear. She sighed and put her head on his chest, listening to a heart that should have been long dead continue beating. 

“There were moments, when you were with your wife, I couldn't help but being a little jealous of what you two had. Of her. I know it's not fair and I had no right to be. You married her a few hundred years before I was even born and I never expected you to choose between us. Never. I don't want you to think that I ever did. I even wanted to be friends with her. For your sake,” Abbie said. Crane was stroking her back now, his fingertips moving in lazy circles. 

“I thought she and I could have something we had in a different time but we weren't the same people anymore. In the end, I did choose. I had to save you from her. I had to save both of us. I love the memory of the woman she once was. I thought... I don't know what I thought. That it could all be the same again? I'm sorry if I hurt you when she was here. It was a confusing time,” he said. 

“We both seem to have our fair share of confusing times,” Abbie said. She was enjoying this, the intimacy of talking with him, of him caressing her, of being in his bed that smelled like him. The knowledge that she could kiss him at anytime. Well, most any time. Like right now. 

She slid up further on the bed and looked at him, staring into his eyes. “I do love you, Crane.” 

Then the kissing began again in earnest. Mouths and tongues and the irresistible urge she had to taste the saltiness of the skin on his neck and to inhale the very male scent of him. Pushing aside the quilt, she motioned for him to tug off his shirt and he complied, throwing it over the edge of the bed. Abbie's mouth explored his chest, kissing the scar over his heart and flitting her tongue over each of his nipples until he moaned, the sound making her smile. 

She kissed more of him, her lips brushing over his stomach and feeling the muscles involuntarily flutter under her touch. She didn't know how much further she should take this. She wanted to unbutton his silly pants and see all of him but instead, she explored more with her hand, feeling him through the linen fabric. His hips rose off the bed ever so slightly as she brushed against the length of his cock. He was hard and she wanted him like she had never wanted anyone else before and she was so ready to just give in. 

Crane grabbed her hand in his own and moved it aside before he quickly unfastened the many buttons on his britches and wriggled them off. They were soon followed by his drawers and now Abbie leaned back to take in the complete sight of him. Tall and so very slender but with a nice amount of muscle in his thighs and arms. His skin was pale against the dark bed sheets. She reached out and touched him, knowing this was silly to do this much but not more. It never felt silly before, but with him, it was different. 

“You don't have to do anything you don't want to do,” he said. 

“I know that but I want to do things to you. So many things,” she said. She leaned forward, her mouth placing soft, wet kisses over the length of his cock before she wrapped her hand around him. “Show me what you like.”

“I...I... like that. That's certainly good,” he managed to squeak out before placing his hand over her tiny hand. “Here. Do this.”

He showed her the exact pressure he liked and Abbie did what he wanted. It wasn't long before she switched out her hand with her mouth, taking him in as far as she could, the taste of him salty and hot on her tongue. He held her hair out of the way while his other hand was wrapped up in the bed sheets, clutching tighter and tighter as she moved, her lips moving up and down him in a perfect motion. Abruptly, he jerked away from her and pulled the quilt over his himself again.

“Abbie, please. I... forgive me... momentary lapse of reason. Not like this,” he said, trying to catch his breath. “Not yet.”

“Okay,” she said, puzzled now. Most men didn't care and not one of them had ever stopped her before, let alone twice. He had stopped her twice now. She didn't have to have much of an imagination to know what he did as soon as he was away from her and alone. 

“It's just not how I imagined it. Not like this. Also, I'd like to know how you so successfully remained fully clothed? Not one garment is out of place and yet here I am, fully exposed before you.”

“One of the secrets to remaining a virgin for this long is that one keeps their trousers on,” she said with a laugh. “I think Mama used to say something about that.”

“Are you suggesting that if dresses were the norm, I'd have been under your skirts by now? Abbie, I could give you so much pleasure...”

“We have to make it the third date and then you can do that. All you want,” she said. Her heart was beating faster just saying those words to him but she trusted him with every part of her. He was the one person she could lose control with and it wouldn't matter. He was the one she'd been waiting for. 

She curled up on her side next to him and he wrapped an arm over her, snuggling in comfortably behind her. Abbie pulled the quilt around so it covered both of them and soon they were asleep. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

To Be Continued


	5. Fears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad dreams haunt Abbie and she and Crane get caught up in a storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a little carried away in this chapter and then no one would behave and then things happened in the non fan-fiction fandom world and then things happened in the real world and I had to reel everyone back in and make them cooperate. 
> 
> All errors are mine. Anything that repeats is my fault.

“Abbie, wake up. Abbie... Lieutenant... wake up! You're dreaming!” Crane said, trying not to shout and scare her more. He shook her several times as she thrashed about in her sleep and finally he had to grab her wrists and hold her still. She blinked at him and looked terrified by her surroundings. “It's only me, Abbie. It's Crane.”

“Ichabod or Captain Crane?” she asked, trying desperately to catch her breath. 

“What? Ichabod Crane... of the 21st Century. You're here with me in Sheriff Corbin's cabin. You're okay. Abbie, what were you dreaming about?” he asked, pulling her close to him. He didn't have on a stitch of clothing and she was completely dressed and that was a little bit unsettling but not as unsettling as her screams that woke him. His heart was still pounding in his chest from the sounds she made. 

She huddled in his arms and he gathered her in. She felt smaller than he ever imagined she could. Yes, Abbie was petite but yet the strongest woman he had ever known. 

“Sometimes, not very often, I dream that I couldn't convince you... 1781 you... to believe me. That no one saved me from living out the fate of a runaway slave and you died at the hands of the Horseman and Katrina. That I'm trapped there,” she said, her voice still panicked. Crane kissed the top of her head and hugged her tight. “You can imagine where it all goes from there.”

“It's a fate too terrible to imagine,” Crane said as Abbie shook in his arms. “I would like to think that I would have done everything in my power to save us both. For me, it was the day before I woke up in that cave. I was Captain Crane one day and locked up in your jail the next. Just as you were Lieutenant Mills one moment and locked up in that jail soon after. I am not an entirely different person.”

“Captain Crane would have never ended up in bed holding me,” Abbie said. 

“Maybe if he... I... wasn't married... or if I had known sooner my wife was out to kill me...”

“But you did do everything in your power to set things right which is still you. Which will always be you. I know you've had to give up everything you were and put on this affable college professor act and I'm sorry about that,” Abbie said. 

“We haven't talked much about it, your experiences back in my era.”

“You've had other things on your mind. I did learn a lot about you from my short time there, though,” Abbie said thoughtfully. 

“Oh? And what would that be?” he asked. He was still holding her tight. Still had her cocooned in the safety of his arms. 

“You were quite a commanding presence, Captain Crane. A little intimidating. You used all of you – your height, your posture, your uniform. You even tried to get up in my face a few times.” 

“I... I'm sorry?” 

“I had to keep in mind that you were not 'you.' You weren't... my Crane. This Crane.”

“This Crane, as you put it, doesn't have anything to command. There's not much need to be up in someone's face all the time. I have no one to give orders to anymore.”

“It made me realize everything you had lost. Not just your family but it was everything you were. Position. Respect. Authority. All lost when you woke up and climbed out of that cave. And I must admit even though you were a bit of a pompous ass, you were quite dashing in that uniform when it was fresh and new. And there was something very intriguing about you,” Abbie said. 

“What would that be?” he asked. 

“I don't know. You might have looked at me like I was ridiculous but you didn't look at me like I was any less of a human being.”

“Why would I?” he asked before he remembered. “Oh, yes. Which brings us back to the nightmare. Or you could tell me more about how I was quite dashing.”

“I love you” Abbie said with a laugh. 

“And I love you. Let me show you. Let me give you something else to think about today beyond your darkest dreams,” he said as he started placing little kisses all over her beautiful face. “And don't worry. Not that. There are plenty of other ways to make you forget.”

Abbie nodded her consent and he couldn't contain a giddy little smile. The room was still dark and they had hours until morning and he was glad for it. His mouth met hers and it was like two people starving for each other. Tongues darted and played and he knew that he could kiss her everywhere for hours on end. 

He pulled down the short zipper on the front of her shirt and she tugged it off along with the sports bra she had on underneath. Instead of kissing, he took a moment to stare at how perfect her breasts were. 

“Men always seem to become tongue-tied at the sight of tits,” Abbie joked, wrapping her fingers into his hair and pulling him back into a quick kiss. He then brushed kisses across her cheek and to her neck and up to her ear. 

“I assure you my tongue is not tied at all,” Crane said, sucking on her earlobe before traveling down. There were plenty of kisses for her collar bones and her sublime suprasternal notch that he had wanted to dip his tongue in for ages. Then her breasts. Her nipples hardened under his lavish attention and she held his head there, Crane sucking and teasing ever so gently on one and then the other. 

He went lower down her body as he disappeared underneath the quilt. He kissed her abdomen and right down to where her trousers were fastened and then waited to see what she would do. She reached for the button and paused just a few seconds before she gave in and unfastened them, pulling the zipper down slowly. He helped her wiggle out of her trousers and then the wonderfully silky undergarment she was wearing and wished more than anything the lights were on and this damn quilt was gone. 

Crane kicked the quilt off of them and pulled her toward the edge of the bed as he slid halfway off of it. Putting her legs over his shoulders, he kissed up and down one inner thigh and then the other, his tongue darting out to taste her smooth skin. Her hands were now in his hair, guiding him where she wanted him. Needed him. He needed this, too. To know how she tasted. How she smelled. How she sounded. To have all those things in his memory forever. 

He kissed her clit and then flicked it with his tongue, enjoying the moaning cry that escaped her mouth. She grabbed the bed linens and clutched onto them until he took her hands in his own. Her legs twitched as he explored her folds with his mouth, his tongue darting into that place she wouldn't let any other part of him in yet. Crane wanted to use his fingers as well as his tongue but she had a tight grip his hands and she wasn't letting go. He was so hard, the only relief he could find was rubbing against the quilt that ended up beneath him. She couldn't stay still, her legs moving and her hips bucking to meet his mouth. 

Abbie released one of his hands as her fingers tangled in his hair again. He gently, slowly slid one finger into her, gauging her reaction as he did so. She was wet and hot and God help him, he wanted to be inside of her so much it hurt. Slipping another finger in, he stroked her clit with his thumb as he watched her, waiting for her to tell him to stop. They watched each other, her knees now pulled to her chest and her feet on his shoulders, and a brief look of uncertainty crossed her face. He pulled his hand away and replaced his thumb with his tongue and she threw her head back in ecstasy again. 

Fine with him. Now he could also take care of his aching cock while he took care of her. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Abbie wasn't sure how this night had gone from 'trust me' to a nightmare to having Crane's face between her thighs but she wasn't in a position to complain at the moment. Damn, he was good. She didn't mind his fingers but preferred his mouth and tongue. She was about to pull him onto the bed and tell him she was ready for everything but before she could, he pulled away from her and was coming in his hand, his face buried against her thigh. She couldn't blame him, really. If she was this wound up inside, he had to be, too. He didn't look at her while he came, barely made a noise like he didn't want her to know. 

“I... apologize,” he mumbled when he was finished. 

“There's nothing to apologize for. But Crane, now it's my turn,” Abbie said, and he smiled at her before he delved back in. She couldn't control the muscles in her legs and they trembled as he continued to pay attention to her clit, sucking and licking it like it was his favorite candy. She didn't know how much longer she was going to be able to take this. She could feel what little control she had slipping away and then everything grew a brilliant white and then dark again as she came, her ankles wrapping together behind his head while she clutched the sheets like she was going to go spinning off the planet if she didn't hold on. 

He didn't stop but kept teasing more and more out of her and until she couldn't stand it anymore and pleaded with him to quit. He did and crawled up between her thighs until his face was even with hers. His beard was damp and she wiped his face off with the sheet before he kissed her. She tasted herself but could still taste him underneath it and the room was filled with the smell of sex now. Her legs were wrapped around his hips and she could feel his cock right there yet he made no move to do more. 

“I told you that you could trust me, Lieutenant,” he said, sounding exhausted. She glanced at the clock on the bedside table and she had a few hours before she'd have to go home and attempt to look presentable for work. Her hair was going to be a disaster and she hoped her legs didn't still feel like rubber when she walked into the precinct. 

“I know. I trust you. I'll always trust you. So, who did you learn that from? Please, for the sake of my sanity, don't say Betsy Ross,” she said. He rolled off of her and fumbled around for the quilt, pulling it over both of them all the while saying nothing. “No. You're kidding?”

“Of course I jest. She was never that interesting. Certainly not enough to garner the adoration given to her these days. A postage stamp? A bridge? If you all only knew...”

“Okay, okay. I don't need to know where you learned certain things just like you don't need to know where I learned certain things,”Abbie said, hoping to stop him before he went off on a professorial tangent about people long dead. Besides, he was trying to sell the fact that she was boring way too hard which only meant she wasn't boring and the vision of Crane with his face between... no. 

“I need to wash. Please say you'll still be here when I return?” he asked, kissing her on the cheek. 

“I have to leave soon for work but I think I need a nap first. I had to trade a few shifts to get yesterday off so I won't be off until late tonight,” she said, the need to sleep creeping up on her fast. “What are you going to do today?” 

“I have some work to do in the archives. Care to stop by and visit?” he said and she mumbled her assent. “And maybe we can have a late night date. I believe that would be the third date but I have no expectations.”

“Oh, I do. Fantastic expectations,” Abbie said, feeling suddenly very alone when he climbed out of the bed and left the room. This thing had turned into a runaway train and some of if surprised the hell out of her. All these years of maintaining perfect control and now it was all going off the tracks in a matter of days. 

She had to confess to herself that she didn't want to stop it. This craziness felt too good to stop. Any of the other guys she dated, none of them made her feel like this. They were just that... guys. Not necessarily men. It wasn't the same. None of them convinced her that this madness called love was okay. That to share herself completely with someone else wasn't giving up a part of herself – it was adding to herself. The two parts were better together. Crane came back to bed, dressed now in some loose-fitting pajama pants, and he crawled under the covers with her, wrapping her up once more in his arms. She was safe here. Nothing to panic about. 

“Sweet dreams, love,” he said, and she was soon asleep once more, this time with only the best of dreams. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Crane stayed in the archives waiting for Abbie late into the night, worried about the storms that had washed over the Hudson Valley since early that morning. The rain came down in sheets and he had never seen anything like this in all his years. The electricity had gone out hours ago and the room was lit by candlelight and lightning strikes. 

He couldn't help but spend far too much time thinking about what had transpired with the lieutenant over the previous night. For better or for worse, their relationship wasn't going to be able to return to what it ever was before. As much as had gone wrong in his life, there were moments he wasn't sure what he did to deserve the things that had gone right. 

It was well after midnight when Abbie came sliding in with Jenny close behind her. 

“Whoa! The floor is wet!” Abbie said, grabbing a hold of her sister in time to keep from falling. 

“I've been swabbing it up as fast as I can but unless this rain stops soon, I think I'll need more than a mop and bucket,” Crane said, rising from the chair he had been sitting in and bringing them both blankets. They were both shivering and Abbie was soaked through even though she had on her departmental rain gear. 

“Six accidents in the last three hours. Basements flooded everywhere. No electricity. People stuck. It's been a long day and I didn't get much sleep last night,” Abbie said, rubbing her eyes. Crane wrapped her in a blanket and rubbed her shoulders. Jenny stood there, holding her own blanket, watching the two of them with an eyebrow cocked. 

“Bad dreams keep you up all night? Or was it something else?” Jenny asked and Crane felt his face grow warm. They had yet to discuss how they were going to brooch the subject of their changing relationship with others and he was going to follow Abbie's lead on this one. 

“I had a nightmare, okay?” Abbie said, putting an end to that topic for now with one look at her sister. 

“Okay. But you have to agree this rain isn't normal, Abbie. If this isn't a sign of something, I don't know what is. It didn't come in with a front. This isn't a Hurricane Sandy kind of thing. You do any research on apocalyptic weather systems lately?” Jenny asked, looking from Abbie to Crane. 

Abbie shook her head but Crane walked back to where he had been sitting and picked up Grace Dixon's journal. The pages that were blank were still that way since Abbie had been returned from the past. Whatever her ancestor had thought she was going to fill those pages with had yet to come to pass. 

“Mrs. Dixon writes briefly in here about how one of the Witnesses will gain control over, well, rain. It's straight from biblical text, though, not any great secret found in some unknown ancient text. I know you've been over these pages a thousand times, Abbie, and you know she firmly believed this power she had was going to be passed down familial lines. No one knows exactly when this power will, shall we say, kick into gear,” Crane said. 

Abbie handed him the blanket and then she started to peel out of her dripping rain gear, hanging it up on the back of a chair. When she was done, she took the journal from him and looked through it. He knew she had it memorized, even without an eidetic memory. 

“I just looked at this the other day. The power is to shut the heavens and stop the rain. The heavens certainly aren't shut today,” Abbie said, flipping through more pages. “I don't think I'm going to suddenly be in charge of the weather tomorrow morning. Just doesn't seem likely. And if it's in the family, Jenny is going to do what? Turn the Hudson River red with blood? And if it's the Witnesses and Family Plan, Crane? That's leaves you with plague. Unless you'd rather have blood?”

“I don't believe that's the path that was chosen for me as a Witness,” Crane said, certain if he had any sort of powers like that, his late wife would have informed him. 

“You know the path? Fill me in at any time, please,” Abbie said, sounding snappish and tired. 

“What do you imagine you'll be writing in these last pages? And if this power runs in the family, wouldn't it have shown up already? Wouldn't we be able to do this since we were born?” Jenny asked. 

“I don't completely understand hereditary witchcraft yet. Or elemental witchcraft and it's not like I have anyone to ask anymore. All I know is it's raining harder than I've seen in years but there's no need to jump to conclusions about it being apocalyptic in nature. Or something I'm going to magically control just because. I guess what I'm saying is I can fight demons but I don't know how to deal with floods,” Abbie said, sitting down at her table. “And I'm too tired to build an ark.”

“You need to go home and sleep,” Crane said. He stood behind her, a hand resting tenderly on her shoulder. “We aren't going to decipher the next signs of the apocalypse tonight. If this storm continues to rage on, then we will study it further.”

“Tomorrow is going to be a long day if this storm doesn't let up. You know, I always assumed that the third seal would be broken and famine would show up on a black horse with a whole bunch of evil minions and it would be one more thing we'd have to defeat. That's what I thought would go next in the journal. How we did that,” Abbie said wearily. Her phone rang and she sighed before answering it. 

Crane listened to one side of the conversation and could surmise it wasn't good. Certainly it wasn't someone calling to inform her that the rain was stopping soon. She finished with the call, set her phone down, and reached for his hand that was still on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. 

“Bad news?” Jenny asked. 

“Seems the main road leading to the cabin has been washed out. The road crews aren't sure when that will be repaired. Then we'd have to get to the smaller road off that one and then back to the cabin... and none of that is happening tonight,” Abbie said. 

“I... will just spend the night here,” Crane said, pulling his hand away and walking to the area where he used to keep a makeshift bedroom. “It won't be the first time. I can make sure there is no flooding.”

“I'm sure Abbie wouldn't mind it if you spent the night on her couch,” Jenny ribbed, getting a glowering look from both Abbie and Crane. “Or I'll go home and you can discuss that without me. I'll see you tomorrow.” 

“'Night, Jenny,” Abbie called after her sister. 

“Goodnight, Miss Jenny. Be safe,” Crane said, pulling the fold away cot he had slept on months earlier out from between the shelves. 

“Are you really spending the night on that uncomfortable thing?” Abbie asked and Crane turned to her, about to speak. Abbie didn't give him the chance. “I know, I know. Valley Forge. Frozen ground. That cot is like sleeping on a cloud compared to that.” 

“You could always stay here with me. We can both make sure the storm waters don't breech the archives,” he said. He hoped she stayed. Needed her to stay. 

“Oh, is that what we'll be doing?” Abbie asked with a coy smile. 

“That. And maybe a little kissing.” 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

The cot really was uncomfortable. And small. The only good thing about it being small was it forced them to spoon in next to each other, his arm keeping her away from the edge as his knees bent perfectly behind her own. The candles were all extinguished but the room continued to be lit up by blue-white flashes of lightning. 

“If this storm keeps on like this, I fear your sister might be correct,” Crane said. 

“Hmm,” was Abbie's simple reply. She really didn't know what to do with apocalyptic weather. There was no way to shoot it or blow it up and no way to outwit it if they don't know who was creating it. Her mind was too tired to deal with that now, anyway. 

“I will continue to look into the matter while you are off keeping the village safe from catastrophe today,” he said quietly. She might be weary but she didn't mind hearing him talk. She had noticed over the last few days that when they were together like this, his voice was softer, less controlled and modulated. He didn't need to be Captain Crane in these intimate moments. 

Despite how tired she was, despite his tireless chatter about the rain, and despite the fact that this cot was barely big enough for one person, she never wanted anyone more than she wanted him right now. Abbie was still a tiny bit afraid, because really there was no returning from that and no way to go back to what they ever were before but come on. He had his face nestled between her thighs just last night and his tongue inside of her, driving her insane. She had tasted his cock on her own tongue and knew how he sounded when she licked him in just the right way. Was there a way to return from that? Not very likely. 

What would he think if she unfastened his pants and straddled him right now? 

“Abbie?” he asked, drawing her out of her thoughts. 

“Sorry... yeah?” 

She rolled over as much as she could and he propped himself up on an elbow to look down at her. His hair was tucked behind his ears and she reached up to play with it. 

“As we forge forward on this new path with our relationship, I want you to know that I want... nay, expect... you to remain as independent and strong as you are right now. I don't want that to change. But I also want you to know that I will always be there for you if we... when we...?” he stopped, searching for a suitable term. 

“Sex is a perfectly good word these days. But you can use one of your terms from 'ye olden days' if you'd like,” Abbie said, joking with him. “I enjoy hearing them.”

“Amorous congress? Convivial society? I shall strum you and take your run goods?” he said, his eyes lit up by a flash of lightning. 

Abbie pulled his face closer to hers and whispered in his ear, “I want you to strum me more than I've ever wanted anything else. I want it to be you. I've known that for a while now but I'm stubborn...”

“No!”

“Shh! Crane... Ichabod... I have pinned so much emotion and fear into this one time thing that I forgot there will be more times. So many more times and this is just the first time of many. But until I was with you, I couldn't really see that. Not with anyone else. Just you,” she finished. He leaned back from her and stared into her eyes and she melted. 

“Here?” he asked, his voice pitched a little higher than she had ever heard it before. 

“Anywhere,” she answered, kissing him once before resting her head back down on the pillow they had to share. 

The next few minutes were a blur of clothing being shed and her brain trying to keep up with what was happening. That this was really happening. Here in the archives on some ratty old cot he found somewhere. And she used to joke about her friends who did it in the backseat of cars. 

They were both naked, clothing strewn all around the cot, and she was beside him as his fingertips traced a delicate line down her body and over her breasts. He would lean in every so often and give her the gentlest of kisses and then go back to staring at her body as his fingers traced over her skin. 

His hand delved between her thighs and she parted them for him, sighing at the sensation when he found her clit and circled it. He explored further, slipping a finger into her and then spreading the wetness around. He swallowed hard (what was he nervous about?) and she had to remind herself to keep breathing. Yes, this was only going to happen if she kept breathing. She reached up and put her fingertips on his lips and he smiled under her touch. 

The rain started to pound harder against the windows and the thunder was clapping tirelessly. They needed no other light beyond the flashes that streaked across the sky before each rumble and Abbie couldn't take her eyes off of his face. She was so close to coming and he didn't let up with his hand and fingers and just... it was all so wonderful. This would almost be enough but she wanted to know what he felt like inside of her. Wanted it now. 

She shifted them so he was over her, between her thighs, and he reached between their bodies, guiding himself in. Abbie wrapped her legs around his waist and gasped at the strangeness of it, the unfamiliarity of having someone there. He filled her completely as he pushed in and the sensation was a little weird yet wonderful all at the same time. There was no real pain. No moment of wishing he'd stop. Nothing but being able to feel him inside of her and of his weight on her. She liked that, too. Crane didn't move. He just stared down at her face and cocked an eyebrow, waiting for some sort of reaction.

“Abbie, is everything as you expected?” he asked and she nodded. 

“Everything as you expected?” she asked back. 

“I can't do everything I want to do to you on this insufferable cot but we can save that for the next time,” he said. “In the cabin. Or your bed.”

“And there are going to be so many next times. Now please move. I need to feel you move before I go crazy,” she said, grinding her hips underneath his. He kissed her before he started to move against her, his movements a counterpoint to her own. Abbie pulled her knees up higher and she could tell from the look on his face this was good for him. She stroked her hands over his arms and his back, feeling his muscles move under his warm skin. They were both covered with a sheen of sweat and she felt his body stick to hers. 

Abbie could no longer tell where he ended and she began. And she never felt more loved and safe in her life. Now she could truly let go. This was the person she had waited for. 

She reached between their bodies and touched herself, caressing her clit as he continued to thrust in and out of her. She had already been close but now with everything else happening, she knew she wouldn't last long. Judging from the look on his face and the sounds he was making, he wasn't going to last much longer, either. 

“Abbie, do you want me to... um... can I...” 

She had no clue what he was getting at but then it dawned on her. They never discussed modern birth control or that she'd been on something for years for reasons other than this. 

“No, you can finish inside of me. These days, it's all good,” she said and although he looked puzzled for a second he didn't question her. 

He kissed her again before moving his his hips even faster, his body slapping against hers as he did so. She came before he did, everything tightening around his cock as she felt her muscles spasm in pleasure. Her legs were shaking and she could barely catch her breath. She cried out his name. His given name. He looked amused at that for a brief moment and then he was also coming, his movements no longer rhythmic and controlled. Nothing about either of them at the moment was controlled. This was as naked and raw as they were ever going to be. 

He collapsed on top of her, both of them wet and sticky and panting. 

“I'm glad I waited,” Abbie said, and Crane propped himself up and placed a gentle, sweet kiss on the tip of her nose. He didn't move to pull out of her. Instead, he stayed put, and she could feel him, wet and very much still there. 

“It is utterly selfish of me to say this, but I'm glad you waited, too,” he said. They both fell quiet, barely moving except to softly kiss the other. The room was almost silent and very dark. 

“The rain stopped,” Abbie said, turning her head to look at the windows high up on the wall. 

He finally slipped out of her and settled down beside her. He pulled a blanket over the two of them as she snuggled in close to him, and her hands moved over his chest, fingers curling in his chest hair. 

“Maybe you do have some power over the weather we don't know about,” he said, sounding very sleepy now. “Like you have some power over me.”

“We'll see if you still feel that way in the morning,” she said and he kissed her on the top of her head. 

“About your power over me? I'm sure I will, Lieutenant. I'm sure I will.”

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

To Be Continued

Notes: Technically, I suppose I could end it there. But there always needs to be some sort of aftermath.


	6. Frustrations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the morning after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long this took me to get done. A friend dragged me to England and Ireland for two weeks so I wandered around London and Oxford and explored County Kerry and Dublin. Now I'm in the process of emptying out my house and also getting my son moved into an apartment where he goes to school. Good times. Well, some of them were. 
> 
> This chapter didn't want to behave and tried to get away from me a number of times so I had to rein it back in. All errors in this story are mine. And Wikipedia's. Never trust Wikipedia.

He had expected a slight moment of awkwardness upon waking up with Abbie for this would be a normal feeling in the 18th century or the 21st. He didn't feel any such thing. Crane blinked his eyes a few times and discovered that the electricity had been restored sometime in the early morning hours and that he had left on nearly every lamp in the archives. This made it much easier for him to watch Abbie sleep beside him. They had to share the scant bit of bedding that remained with the cot after he moved back into the cabin and there was only one pillow but that just gave him a reason to hold onto her all night. Or at least one more reason. 

As if he needed any. 

He felt his face flush when he thought about their last few nights together, especially this most recent one. Crane had always been thankful that he had found one woman in his life that he wanted to wake up with every morning but this? A second chance with the likes of Abbie Mills was more than he ever deserved. This was also a clear demarcation between an old life he could never have back and a new one that fate had forged for him. He only hoped he could be worthy of her, both as a partner and a lover. 

Crane forced himself to stop waxing poetic. Abbie's hair framed her face beautifully, though she wouldn't be happy with it, and he found himself struggling to not touch her or kiss her. She needed her sleep. He needed her. He only hoped she still felt the same way when she woke up. He only got to watch her for a few more minutes before her eyes opened and she stretched (as much as one could on the tiny cot) and yawned. 

“Good morning,” he said, waiting for her to become fully aware of where she spent the night and what happened during the early morning hours. 

“Morning,” she said, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. “Well, that was a first.”

“The first of many nights together, I dare hope?” he asked and she smiled at him. 

“Yeah, just as long as they are spent together somewhere far more comfortable than this cot. What? Were you worried this was a one time thing? I'd wake up this morning and no longer love you? Or need you?” she asked incredulously. 

“The thought crossed my mind for a few minutes. What if you regretted this choice made in a moment of weakness in the middle of the night?”

“I don't remember any moments of weakness on my part. I said yes.” 

“In actuality, you said 'anywhere' and not–”

“Crane, now is not the time,” Abbie said, elbowing him in the ribs. 

“It's always the time, Lieutenant,” he said, pulling her on top of him and giving her a kiss. She absentmindedly wriggled against him as she kissed him back and he grew hard under the movement of her body. 

“Now is definitely not the time for that. I have to be back to work soon. I have to get home and take a shower and... and I have to find my clothes first,” she said, looking at the floor. Everything they had on yesterday was tossed high and low. 

“If the road to the cabin is still impassable, where am I expected to spend the day? Here?” Crane asked as Abbie rolled off of him and the cot and began gathering up her clothing. He turned to watch her, enjoying the sight of her body as she moved around. She looked at him with consideration and shook her head. 

“You better come home with me and get cleaned up. I can drop you off here again when I come back for my shift. Unless you just want to hang around my place all day waiting for me,” she said. 

“Will you be back for an afternoon meal?” he asked, formulating plans in his head of all the trouble they could get up to in an hour. 

“I can't make any promises after last night's storm. I might not be home until late,” she said, pulling on her clothes and pressing the fabric smooth under her hands, trying to straighten all the wrinkles. She finished by attaching her holster back to her hip. He was still undressed on the cot, fascinated by her every move. “Crane, I can't get you out of here and back to my place if you're naked.”

“I will dress posthaste if you promise me one thing, Lieutenant,” Crane said, slowly rising from the cot and reaching for his various articles of clothing. Now it was Abbie's turn to watch. He could feel her eyes on her with every move he made. 

“What is it?” she asked, her eyes finally meeting his. 

“The next time we do this... am I being too presumptuous in assuming there will be a next time?” he asked. 

“Oh, there will be plenty of next times,” she said with the coyest of smiles, assuring him once again. “Maybe even tonight.” 

“Ah, good,” he said, stretching. A number of his joints popped and cracked as he did so and he looked down at the horrible cot they spent the night on. “The next time we do this, please assure me it will not be on this infernal cot!” 

“Aww, that cot now holds a special place in my heart,” Abbie said, still smiling. “But I promise you that next time will be somewhere else. Like maybe on that desk you love working at. Or on that chair over there. Maybe just up against the wall...”

“Abbie, we're never going to get out of here if you keep doing that,” he said, and she laughed at his discomfort. 

“Okay, okay. Get dressed. I promise you we will only revisit the cot on special occasions and anniversaries. Or if the end of the world is here and we are trapped in the archives with only the cot and each other...”

“Abbie...” he said, all the images of her in his head enough to make him barking mad. 

“Yes?”

“For someone who lost their virginity just a few hours ago, you have an incredibly salacious mind,” Crane said, finally to the point where he could pull his clothes on and get everything fastened. 

“I've had years to think about it. All those years to think about the things I would want to do with the right person. To the right person. Years, Crane, and you're the right person,” she said, her hands on her hips as she continued to smile at him. 

If the apocalypse didn't kill him, Crane thought, Abbie surely would. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

“I don't understand how it can be raining again,” Abbie said, backing up the car so she didn't have to drive through the deep standing water. Not only was it raining impossibly hard again, it was a bitterly cold morning. 

“When I get back to the archives, I'll do more research into what kind of outside force could be causing this weather. If I ever get back to the archives,” Crane said, turning to look at Abbie as she put the car into drive and attempted to make it down a different street. 

“I'm trying my best. I'm supposed to be on the clock in twenty minutes and I certainly can't go in to work looking like this,” she said, quickly checking the state of her hair and face in rear view mirror. Nor can I go in smelling like I spent the night in bed with my partner, she thought. 

“We will just have to bathe together, Lieutenant,” Crane said slyly. 

“I'm not seeing how that will speed things up,” Abbie said, giving him a cross look. She wished they had time for such things but today wasn't going to be the day. Besides that, muscles she had never used before were screaming at her at the moment. Yoga could only do so much to prepare one for what they did in the night. 

She turned onto her street and into the space in front of her apartment and that's when she noticed Jenny's car parked in a guest space. Abbie sighed loudly as she put the car in park. 

“Miss Jenny?” Crane said.

“Oh, this isn't going to go well. I didn't intend to tell her about us just yet. Now she's going to know the second we walk through the door,” Abbie said. She was trying to think of some story as to why they'd be in the archives all night. And end up with her hair looking like she was fucked good and him with a smirk that just wouldn't seem to go away. No, no way to lie about this. 

“Does it matter? We are both adults and although we are not bound together under the law or the eyes of God, that doesn't seem to matter in this era,” he said, drawing a 'what the hell are you talking about' look from Abbie. 

“This is Jenny. She's never going to give up harassing you. Or me. And I've got way too much to do today. And can you please stop looking like the cat that just ate the canary,” Abbie said. 

“That was the night before...”

“And you're going to have to stop trying to be funny. Just while she's around.”

“Are you embarrassed by the fact that you and I have had 'amorous congress'?” 

“You aren't going to quit with the funny, are you? And no, I'm not embarrassed. Not at all.”

“Well, then, I think I can handle Miss Jenny,” Crane said. 

“You don't know what you're getting yourself into,” Abbie said. Before she could say anything else, Crane was out of the car and heading to her door in the pouring rain. Jenny opened the door before he could get there, as if she had been watching from the window. She probably had been since they pulled up. Abbie sighed, put up the hood on her raincoat and got out of the car, following Crane through the cold downpour. 

“Late night? Or early morning?” Jenny asked as Abbie took of her coat and hung it up to dry by the door. 

“I've got ten minutes to get cleaned up and dressed and get back to work. Today isn't looking any better than yesterday and frankly, Jenny, I'm not in the mood to discuss anything right now,” Abbie said, hoping that would quiet her sister down for a while. 

“Go. Get ready. I'll talk to Crane while you're doing that,” Jenny said. Abbie shot Crane a little 'you got this?' glance and he gave her a casual shoulder shrug. “Alright. Hey, can you get Crane back to the archives when he's done doing whatever it is he needs to do here? He needs to work on a few things.”

“Things you forgot to work on overnight?” 

“Yeah, something like that. Crane, can I talk to you for a minute? Privately?” Abbie said, getting an eye roll from Jenny now. 

She pulled him into her room and closed the door. 

“I'm sorry about all this.”

“You mean Miss Jenny? I will be fine.”

“That and I really wanted a moment alone with you before I had to go to work. I just... I wanted to... there were things I wanted to say,” Abbie said, her thoughts filled with a million things she wanted to tell him about how she felt. How he made her feel. 

He took her into his arms and held her tight, kissing the top of her head. “I will see you tonight and you can tell me everything then. You should get to work now, Lieutenant, or how else will you continue to support me?” he said, trying to make her smile one more time before she had to go. 

“I do love you,” she said before he released her. “Even if you are a unemployed bum.”

“And I love you, Abbie,” he said, tilting down far enough to give her a kiss. If she could have, she would have pulled him into her bed and kissed him all morning. Instead, she had to go face what the storm had done to Sleepy Hollow and he had to face Jenny. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

He had managed to avoid most of Miss Jenny's questions while they were alone in Abbie's apartment, but as soon as Crane got in her car, there was no more escaping but he didn't feel the need to divulge anything too intimate. If Abbie chose to tell her sister about the ever-changing status of their relationship, that was her business to do so. 

“The archives, Crane? Really? I would have loaned you the money to at least get a nice hotel room,” Jenny said. Crane just gave her a quick glance over his upturned coat collar and then continued to watch the pouring rain through the windshield. 

“I do not see how it is any of your concern. I care for your sister deeply and that is all that matters,” he said.

“You better love her deeply, too.” 

“I do.”

Jenny nodded before she changed the subject. Crane was certain he hadn't heard the end of it from her. 

“This weather still has to mean something, the way it is hovering over the Hudson Valley and not moving at all. And what brought about the brief break in the rain early this morning?” Jenny asked. 

“Our sources for information are growing limited as time goes on but I'll look at some of the newly obtained literature in the archives –”

“You've been putting the archives to good use lately, haven't you?” 

“– and I will see if there is some demonic force behind this,” Crane finished without missing a beat. 

“And if there isn't some big nasty behind it? Then what?” Jenny asked, driving through a massive puddle that sent up a water spray higher than their vehicle. Her windshield wipers could barely keep up, click-clacking their way across the glass as fast as they could. 

“Then I fear we might really have to start building an ark,” Crane said, thankful that Miss Jenny had stowed plenty of weatherproof gear in the car. He should be able to get into the archives without looking like he took a second shower for the day. “In your extensive travels, have you ever heard of any demons that make it rain specifically one limited geographical area?”

“Maybe not demons but how about witches?”

Crane spooled through all the information and images in his head, hoping to find something. As soon as Jenny said it, he knew it had to be there. Maybe if he had been thinking about this since last night instead of other things... maybe. 

“A Tempestarii?” Crane asked. “I should have thought of that already.”

“You've been a little distracted. At least you have a direction to look. And if we find one and they can make it rain, hopefully they can make it stop,” Jenny said, driving through another deep puddle before pulling into a parking space as close to the archives as she could. “Before I have to put an outboard motor on this thing.”

“Thank you, Miss Jenny, for bringing me here,” Crane said, trying to escape as quickly as he could. 

“You need my help?” she asked, putting the car in park and not giving him much choice. 

He pictured the state of the archives and how he and and Abbie had left it this morning, rushing out so she could get to work. Lights on. A cot pushed against the shelves. At least various articles of clothing were no longer strewn about. What difference did it make now? Jenny wasn't stupid. She knew everything that was happening. 

“I would be happy to have your help today,” he said, wondering what Abbie would say at this very moment. They both ran toward the building through the rain that pelted them every inch of the way, and still ended up drenched. When they got to the archive room, Jenny looked around but made no comment on the state of things. 

“I might have a few friends somewhere I can contact about weather controlling witches, but first I'll see what I can learn here,” Jenny said, going to the stacks and coming back with a pile of books. 

“I'll look into the ancient prophesies again and Mrs. Dixon's journal. There has to be something we're missing. Pieces we just haven't managed to put together yet,” Crane said, taking a pile of books to his desk and then turning on the computer. That stayed turned off when the electricity went out. Abbie once mentioned things called 'battery back ups' but none had been acquired yet. He started with the most basic search, one he hadn't made since the day Abbie taught him how to do the Google. 

Wikipedia was truly his friend. He knew it wasn't to be trusted but sometimes it was enough to lead him to more reliable sources or give him an idea. It was also amazing for someone who slept through a few centuries. This time, searching it led him to a list of original sources he would be able to translate and verify. 

Miss Jenny had some information on witches and weather and how they were treated through the centuries. She handed him several pages she had printed out and then left, telling him she was going to go meet with someone who might know more. Crane tried to put together the information the best he could but he kept coming to one conclusion. And he was positive Abbie wasn't going to be happy about it. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

“What are you still doing here?” Abbie asked, walking into the archives looking completely exhausted. She didn't even bother taking off her rain gear this time. She just flumped down in a chair, struggling to keep her eyes open. 

“I had nowhere to go and I wanted to discuss with you some of the ideas Miss Jenny and I found while searching the archives for reasons behind this peculiar weather,” Crane said. Abbie had enough of this weather without talking about it. 

“Uh huh.” 

“When you were researching everything that could possibly come of the two Witnesses becoming... well, how can I put this?”

“Crane? Really? Do you mean us commingling bodily fluids? Will that work for you?” Abbie asked, opening her eyes again. She was frustrated and tired and every fiber of her being now hurt from this horrible shift. The storm made the day seem endless and now she had no idea what Crane was trying to get at. 

“That would certainly be one way to put it. When you were researching the possible outcomes of us commingling, did you discover anything?”

“I already told you. I couldn't find much and none of the so-called experts seemed to know anything, either. It's not like we're dealing in some applied science here. Revelation can be interpreted in many ways and I've heard my fair share of those interpretations,” Abbie answered. 

“There's something about it on the Wikipedia page for the Two Witnesses,” Crane said, standing up to show her the pages he printed off earlier. “It leads to some original texts and early biblical translations. They change the text from body to bodies. Mouth to mouths. Over time, translations changed them but at one point it went from singular to plural. This could be referencing us.”

“I haven't read the Wikipedia page lately. Nor did I check any original texts. I did everything else I could think of,” Abbie said in frustration, looking over the pages he handed her. He even highlighted the relevant parts in a bright pink but even that didn't help her understand what he was trying to tell her. 

“In the earliest Greek translations such as from the Codex Alexandrinus, it can be implied that the witnesses have one mouth and one body. This is because they are no longer two, but one flesh, as husband and wife.”

“I don't remember us getting married,” Abbie said, handing the papers back to Crane. Abbie wondered where was he going with this? The rain today had been worse than yesterday and she just wanted to get home to her bed. She even spent most of the day considering taking him with to her bed but not if he didn't stop talking. 

“But we have now become one flesh. One body.” 

“And that somehow fulfills some biblical prophecy? The next part of the apocalypse can begin now?” 

“You must admit that stranger things have happened in the bible and Sleepy Hollow,” he said, looking at her with his eyebrow arched up. “But there is more.”

“Oh, good.” 

“Miss Jenny was doing a more in depth study of this storm and we might have to consider that a Tempestarii is involved,” he said. She felt that he wasn't telling her everything just yet but she could wait for the plot twist she knew was coming. 

“A Tempestarii?” 

“A Tempestarii is a witch intended to encourage bad weather. In Revelation, it states that the Witnesses will have power over the sky and the the waters. What if this is whatever your ancestor, Mrs. Dixon, believed would eventually be awoken in you? And it was brought about by the Witnesses, you and I, becoming one flesh?” Crane asked. Abbie said nothing for the longest time but just stared at him. 

“Slow down a minute. You think just because of this rainstorm, a possible mistake made in the 5th century by some monk sitting in a dark room translating Greek, and that we've had sex, I am now a weather controlling witch? Have you lost your damn mind? Nothing against witches, but don't you think that's going a bit far?” Abbie said, her temper flaring. Throughout her whole adult life she always assumed having sex with someone would change a few things, mostly in regards to the relationship, but him thinking this would turn her into a witch was not exactly what she had in mind. 

“I'm not implying that it was any one of those things. But combined...”

“It was just sex! It didn't fundamentally change who I am! I am the same person I was yesterday. We just know a lot more about each other. If you think that was enough to turn me into someone else–”

“I'm not implying that, either, Lieutenant,” he said. He had that look on his face he'd get when he was starting to grow frustrated or angry and she hated being on the receiving end of it. 

“What are you suggesting then? Or is this just because we've had nothing big and bad come at us for a few months so now you and my sister are searching for things? Can't we just be satisfied with a little down time? I still have to do my job every day whether demons are chasing us or not. It would be nice to just do that and get to know each other better. You know, while something isn't trying to chop off our damn heads,” Abbie said. Crane now put the papers aside and sat beside her, silent for quite some time. 

“You are right, Abbie. Maybe I'm searching too hard for what comes next. It has happened before and I always hope to be able to temper my worries. I often fail,” he said, breaking the silence. 

“And end up thinking I'm a witch?” 

“Would you prefer I thought you a demon?” he asks, cocking an eyebrow at her and smiling ever so slightly. 

“I'd prefer we go home and get some sleep and talk about this more tomorrow. I've had enough of this discussion and this storm and, well, just about everything,” Abbie answered, not giving in to his playfulness. 

“I can spend the night here if you'd prefer. Or sleep on your couch. Or try to make my way back to the cabin,” he said, sounding genuine in his offer. He also sounded like he was afraid she might be mad at him. She was, a little, but there was no way she could deal with that tonight, too. 

Abbie sighed deeply and made herself forget about the strange conversation they got into once she arrived here. Tomorrow would be soon enough to discuss why everyone thought she was suddenly an all-powerful weather-controlling witch. And she would definitely be talking to Jenny about how she got involved in this and how much of this was her leading Crane on just because she could. 

“Crane, the entire day all I thought about was spending the night curled up in my bed with you. It was the goal that got me through the disaster of today. Please come home with me and we'll worry about everything else tomorrow, okay?” Abbie asked. He nodded in agreement, looking a lot less worried than he did a few seconds ago. “And Crane, maybe if you're lucky, I'll magically discover how to turn off the rain on our way out.”

“Maybe it would be best if you let it keep raining. Then I'll have to help you divest of your soaked garments once we arrive at your home,” he said. 

“I'll let you help no matter what,” she said, getting out of her chair and reaching for him. He followed her eagerly. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

To Be Continued


	7. Grateful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally make it on that third date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone who has read this. I have to wrap it up now because, well, it's a good place to wrap it up and because I will be living with my mother and sleeping on her couch for a while now and this is going to seriously hamper my smut writing time! 
> 
> I have enjoyed writing this story even though the main theme is incredibly improbable.

Crane found himself in an empty bed when he awoke in the middle of the night. They made it to Abbie's home from the archives and fell asleep together in her bed, his arms wrapped around her as she snuggled against him much like the night before only with more room. They were both too exhausted for more than a few leisurely goodnight kisses before drifting off to sleep. 

He got out of bed to look for Abbie, hoping all was well and she hadn't been stirred from her slumber by another nightmare. He found her staring out a window at the rain, her hair wrapped up in a satin scarf and wearing the shirt he had removed before bed. The shirt was far too big on her and she had to push the sleeves up, but he found it incredibly endearing. 

“Is anything wrong?” he asked, standing behind her. She didn't turn to look at him but her eyes met the reflection of his in the glass. 

“Just thinking.”

“Oh?” 

“A lot has changed in the last few days. Things started moving really fast once they got going,” she said, her eyes now looking down at the rain dripping down the glass. 

Crane's stomach lurched, once again worried that with time and thought, she'd want to slow everything down. Some things that transpired between them couldn't be undone at this point but maybe...

“Yes, we never did make it to that third date,” he said, hoping to make her smile. When he could do that, he knew it was going to be okay. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth and he felt some relief. “Abbie, if you want to slow down or even stop, that is up to you. You are in charge and can say no anytime.” 

“You really are worried I'm going to do that, aren't you? I'm not, so relax. I was just watching the rain and thinking about how worried we were... are... that every little thing could lead to the next stage of the apocalypse. I went away to research it. You spent today worried I was now out there controlling the weather. Maybe we just have to accept that we might not know what is coming until it gets here,” Abbie said, finally turning from the window and looking up at him. He played with the ribbons on his shirt, curling them around his fingertips. 

“The hardest part is the waiting,” he said, releasing the ribbons and running a finger across her skin where the shirt was cut into a low V. 

“You could get a job while we're waiting,” Abbie said, her breath hitching slightly when he slid his hand underneath the shirt. His fingertips caressed her breasts, causing her to shiver in pleasure. 

“I will start looking in earnest tomorrow. Perhaps my knowledge of 18th century bilge pumps on naval vessels will finally be useful if the rain doesn't stop,” he said, pulling her closer to him. 

“Or you could just check to see if someone at the college is looking to hire a history tutor,” Abbie said, curving her body into his touch. “I'm sure Jenny can doctor some paperwork for you. Make it look like you were at Oxford a little more recently.”

“Are my future employment options really what you wish to discuss right now?” he asked, bending at the knees so he could put his hands under her bottom and pick her up. She wrapped her legs around him as her arms went around his neck, holding on tight. How many times had he imagined this? Millions. 

“You are always so much stronger than your skinny frame would let on,” Abbie said. He pressed her back against the cold window and shot her a a look that didn't need any interpretation. “I suppose it was all those years of being a soldier. Carrying things...”

“I could carry you for miles if I had to,” he said. She was now at the proper height for him to kiss her so he did. Over and over, softly at first but desperately needing to have more. To devour her. The heat from their mouths shot through his body, leaving him hard and needy. 

She slid down a few inches until she was sitting upon the windowsill, allowing him to move and pull up her shirt. She had nothing on underneath it and his heart started beating faster. His fingers slid down between her thighs, finding the spot that made her moan and she leaned her head back against the window. He could now kiss her neck, tasting the sweetness of her. He could spend the rest of his life learning every flavor of Abbie Mills. 

He sank to his knees, her legs now over his shoulders as he helped her keep her balance on the sill. Her fingers wound into his hair, pulling him to her. She was sweet and musky and he could spend the whole night right here, relishing every sound she made as his tongue darted against her. 

“I want you inside of me again. Now,” she said, trying to pull him from his place between her thighs. 

He stopped just long enough to tell her not yet before he went back to the delicious task before him. Abbie slid closer, and he licked every part of her, his tongue slipping into her wetness and then further down to tease that tight hole, too. She gasped but settled in to let him do whatever he wanted. What he wanted to do was to make her come. He didn't give her a moment where his mouth and lips weren't sucking or licking her, his tongue darting in and out. She had wanted him inside of her, she just didn't say how. 

Abbie was crying out his name and perhaps a few unholy things as she came but he wouldn't let up. He wanted to draw this out, to please her as best he could.

She was as limp as a ragdoll when Crane stood suddenly, her legs falling from his shoulders to wrap around his waist again. He picked her up with ease and carried her to the bed, falling back on it with her on top. She slumped over, kissing him, tasting herself on his mouth and his beard. 

“I want to fuck you until you scream my name.” It was a whisper against his lips and she had to know how much he wanted her to do just that. 

“You're not sore after last night, are you?” he asked. Some of the young women he had been with bled their first time, Katrina included. With Abbie, he couldn't even tell. A man living in his former era might have questioned this but he knew she had no reason to lie to him about that. What purpose would it serve? 

“Not enough to not want you. Every night. I'm gonna want this every night for a long while,” she said.

He certainly wasn't going to deny her that wish. 

Abbie moved just long enough for him to get rid of his drawers and she pulled the shirt she was wearing up so it was out of the way as she settled down on his cock. He was inside of her and she was so wet and hot and adorable with the way his shirt was falling off her shoulders and her scarf was now all lopsided on her head. Oh, there was no way he could ever deny her anything. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

She liked this, the control of being on top. Their first time, she let him lead the way but now she was the one controlling the pace. From the blissful look on his face, he didn't seem to mind at all. Abbie enjoyed the feel of him inside of her. Sure, she had toys that she had played with over the years but that wasn't the same as the warmth of flesh and blood. She could seriously get used to having a man in her bed all the time. Especially if that man was Ichabod Crane. 

Her fingers were entwined with his as she leaned forward, letting him almost slip out of her. Just enough to make him look at her like he would die without her. She liked that look. 

Up and down. In and out. Over and over. His narrow hips would come up off the mattress, meeting her in counterpoint with each move she made. Crane's eyes never left hers and she felt so ridiculously safe like this, with him. There was nothing that was going to get them when they were together. Now they were just a little more... together. 

Crane let go of one of her hands and his fingers moved to her clit. God, he was going to make her come again. She was thankful even more now that her first time hadn't been with that ass of a boyfriend she had when she was 16. She was certain he had no clue that a clit even existed let alone... oh, fuck. 

How to do precisely what Crane was doing to her right now. He leaned his hips at the perfect angle to hit her somewhere wonderful as his fingers took care of the outside. All the while, he kept watching her, as if he was able to look into her soul and see everything she was feeling. 

She thought she had been in love before but nothing like this. Never, ever like this. 

Abbie was coming again, the room suddenly filling with stars and bursts of hot, white light. And still he watched as her entire body hummed around his. When she was able to focus again, she moved faster, knowing more now about the pace he liked and what he needed. He thrust into her hard and deep and she gasped with each slap his body made against hers. 

He finally couldn't watch her anymore, his eyes shut tight as he came inside of her. She squeezed all her inner muscles around him and he cried out her name as his body shuddered under her. Finally, both of them spent, she fell into is arms, instantly missing the feel of him in her. Legs entwined, he reached for a blanket to cover them and they nestled in each others warmth. 

“What were you thinking before, when you were standing at the window?” he asked after several minutes of holding her tight. 

“Oh, just about the fact that someday I might have the powers you and Jenny spent the day worried about. How will I learn to control them? Grace's journal doesn't come close to covering that. There are just so many questions and we have no answers. Sometimes we're fighting this war completely blind,” she said, realizing this wasn't exactly the kind of pillow talk most couples shared after sex. 

“If you follow in the tradition of your family, we will adapt and learn to deal with it when it happens. I am sorry for implying earlier that our being together was impetus to change everything you are,” he said and she nodded. 

“This isn't an episode of Buffy,” Abbie said. Crane didn't make a remark so he obviously didn't know that reference yet. One more TV show to introduce him to in their spare time. 

“I realize this isn't an episode of anything. It is just hard knowing what is in store for us and waiting,” he said. Abbie propped herself up next to him and gave him a kiss, resting a hand tenderly on his face. 

“Then it's good that we found something else to do together to kill some time,” she said. He smirked at that and leaned up to kiss her again. After a few more kisses, she snuggled against him again, her hand on his chest. “You still have to find a job, though.”

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Crane wasn't ready to give up on his research of Tempestarii immediately. All the pieces fit together too well and although he knew it upset Abbie, he wanted to look into it further. He was trying to get over thinking that the consummation of their relationship had anything to do with it but what if the next chain of events was indeed set off by the two Witnesses becoming one? 

That was the problem with this Witness job. There were too many uncertainties. At least the rain had slowed to a gentle drizzle and wasn't threatening to wash out the entire area. 

Crane turned to the computer and opened up this List of Craig's. Abbie had instructed him to go there to see if he could find any tutoring positions. Surely he had to be qualified to teach some history and he knew he was far more skilled at proper English usage than most of the young people of the Hudson Valley. As soon as Jenny found a contact that was willing to get him the credentials he needed, he'd be more than happy to be earning some money and it would do him some good to think of something else for a while besides what was eventually going to try to kill them all. 

It would also take him mind off of wanting to spend every waking and non-waking second in bed with Abbie. Which was what he was thinking about when she walked in at lunch time. He tried to not have a smug, self-satisfied look on his face when she came near but it was hard. He'd been called prideful more than once in the far distant past and he wasn't doing a good job of hiding it now. 

“Hey you. What are you up to?” she asked. She stood behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he relished in this new-found intimacy they had. “Look at you! Trying to find a paying job!”

“You asked and it is the least I could do. I will never be able to repay you for everything you have given me but if we are to move forward not only as Witnesses but as a couple, it is my duty to help provide for the two of us,” he said and Abbie kissed his cheek. 

“I see you haven't totally given up on the rain witches, yet,” she said, sounding a lot less angry than he imagined she would. “I think I will know if I develop some strange new superpower or if I get my very late letter from Hogwarts. I know what it says in Revelation, but I don't think this is the path it's going to take.” 

Abbie moved the papers from one side of his table to the other and before he could say a word, she was sitting on it before him. Her legs dangled down and he put his hands on her thighs, looking up at her. He wanted her so much it hurt. How were they ever going to work together if this constant need didn't abate some?

He stood abruptly, his chair flying out from behind him and clattering across the floor. She yanked him closer, her hands immediately going to all the buttons on his breeches. This was wrong. It was the middle of the day, obviously her lunch break, and anyone could walk in. But before he could protest more, her hand was down his drawers and was stroking him until he was hard. He wanted to undress her, too, but she had on so much clothes and... he really couldn't think anymore. 

“Relax and enjoy it,” she instructed. He closed his eyes for just a minute, lost in the feeling of her nimble fingers wrapped around him. His legs started to buckle and she let go, jumped off the desk and turned him around until he was leaning against on the edge. She went down to her knees and took him into her mouth and her clever tongue did things that made him crazy. 

He couldn't help it. He was thrusting into her mouth and she didn't stop. Instead, she stared up at him with her beautiful eyes under those long lashes and just watching this sent him over the edge. She didn't pull away even then, swallowing everything he had to give. When he was done, she stood up and wiped the corner of her mouth before giving him a long, lovely kiss. He could taste himself on her mouth but didn't care. He wanted to kiss her for hours and hours. 

“Well, that was an enjoyable lunch break,” Abbie said, ending their kiss and flashing him a wide, beautiful smile. 

“Sometimes I am quite certain you are indeed practicing some sort of witchcraft, Abigail Mills,” Crane said as he fastened all the buttons on his breeches. He'd have to clean himself up once she had gone back to work. 

“Speaking of witches, the rain really is slowing down,” she commented. 

“I noticed. This means that perhaps we can go on our third date this evening? Karaoke?” Crane asked and Abbie nodded in agreement. 

“I'll pick you up later. You can fill me in on what kind of witch you think I am now,” she said, straightening out her clothing and hair. 

“Truly the best kind,” he said as she headed to the door. “Abbie, I love you.”

She turned around and smiled again. “Love you, too. See you later.”

When she was gone, he collected his chair and sat, thinking. After the past couple of days and nights, he was really going to have to work hard to make this date special. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Arriving at Mabie's, they were greeted by Jenny waving them over to her table. Abbie looked at Crane to see if this was okay and he nodded. So much for an evening for just the two of them. He was wearing his colonial era finest and she even wore a skirt for a change. She hoped Jenny would keep her comments to a minimum but that really was too much to expect. 

“So, look at you two! What date is this? Three? Four? At least there's no pressure considering you already...”

“Jenny,” Abbie said sternly. “We'll talk later.”

“You better believe it,” Jenny added before taking a sip of her beer. Crane volunteered to make a run to the bar for more drinks and Abbie hoped he'd hurry back before Jenny could make too many more embarrassing remarks.

“How is it going? He is treating you right, isn't he” Jenny asked, suddenly growing serious. Abbie wasn't expecting that. She expected her sister to continue to joke about her changing relationship with Crane but not to get solemn about it. 

“It's going well. Great so far, actually... I can't even believe... oh my God,” Abbie said and then laughed. “Yeah, he's treating me right.”

“So, it's that good?”

“Oh, fuck yeah,” Abbie said and they both had to stifle giggles when Crane returned to the table with several pints of beer in his hands. He quickly figured out what the sisters were talking about and his face grew flush.

“Also, Jennifer Mills, what's up with your trying to convince Crane I'm now into weather-controlling witchcraft? Do you think I'm the answer to climate change, too?” Abbie asked. Her sister gave her a sly smile and never answered the question. 

“So, are you singing tonight?” Jenny asked Abbie who shook her head. 

“Crane says he's going to be doing the singing tonight,” Abbie said, with a nod to her partner. He gave her an easy smile and took a sip of his beer. 

They all discussed the rain and whatever it was that made Jenny also believe that Abbie could be a witch and how long it would take before Crane would be able to get back to the cabin. Not that Abbie minded this arrangement but sooner or later, he'd probably want a few more changes of clothing at her place. 

Oh God. Now she had him moving in already. She wasn't ready for that. Was she?

The karaoke was finally starting and they enjoyed the first performers, clapping loudly for all of them when their turn was over, no matter how perfect or pitchy they were. Finally, it was Crane's turn and Abbie cringed as he walked away, unable to imagine what he came up with on his own. 

“I wanted to perform 'O! Say Bonny Lass' but have been informed that this tune isn't part of the karaoke collection here. So this will have to do,” Crane said, tapping the microphone. 

“That was a narrow escape,” Jenny muttered and Abbie threw her a disapproving look. She, too, was glad that the this evening's patrons didn't have to sit through some Revolutionary-era ditty but what if what he did pick was even worse?

He started singing and it wasn't that bad. Everyone in the place fell silent, for this was the first time they had heard him singing something that wasn't about dead sailors or a soldier getting a girl pregnant before running off to war. She wasn't even sure how he had found this song. Sure, she had mentioned this singer a number of times when teaching him about modern entertainment, music, and culture. How could she not? But he certainly wasn't on her iTunes play list. 

Jenny was just as still and quiet as everyone else, except when she reached out and touched Abbie's arm briefly. 

“Take my hand, take my whole life, too...” he sang, looking at her. Her smile was for him and him alone. 

Before Abbie knew it, it was over and the crowd was clapping politely. Crane made his way back to the table and Jenny excused herself, making up a story about needing another drink so they could be alone. 

“That was... thank you,” Abbie said, still a little choked up by his sweet gesture. 

“It is true, Abbie. As this minstrel wrote, some things are meant to be and I'm most happy and grateful that it's meant to be with you,” he said, his voice so soft and low that Abbie wasn't even sure she heard him. It didn't matter. She knew him and knew exactly what he would say. 

“And I'm grateful it was you,” she added before kissing him, holding his face in her hands. “So very grateful it was you.” 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

The End

End Note: While 'O! Say Bonny Lass' is a perfectly respectable song, I decided to end it with 'I Can't Help Falling In Love With You' instead. Probably a wise choice. Abbie will have to one day teach Crane more about 'Rock and Roll' and cultural appropriation. 


End file.
